Carlos Sainz is still racing in Formula 1 with Williams, but the latest notable issue was a tough run in Japan and an earlier 2025 Austrian GP retirement caused by a technical failure and rear-brake fire.

What happened

  • In the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, Sainz had to stop before the race really got going because his car developed a technical problem on the formation lap, then his rear brakes overheated and caught fire in the pit lane.
  • More recently, Williams have had a difficult start to the 2026 season, and after finishing P15 in Japan, Sainz was already looking ahead to improvements for Miami.

Current context

  • He is now a Williams driver, not a Ferrari driver, and he has been in the news both for team performance and for comments on F1 regulations after Ollie Bearman’s crash in Japan.
  • So if you’re asking “what happened to Carlos Sainz,” the short answer is: nothing dramatic off the track — he’s still active, but he’s had some frustrating results and technical setbacks.

If you want, I can also give you the latest Carlos Sainz update in one paragraph or explain why he left Ferrari for Williams.