Carlos Sainz announces move to Williams F1
Carlos Sainz will drive for Williams in the 2025 Formula 1 season, ending months of speculation about his future.
Sainz, 29, has been one of the key players in the F1 driver market for next season since Ferrari announced in February that it had signed Lewis Hamilton, leaving the Spaniard without a seat.
Sainz has faced strong interest from Sauber, which will become Audi’s works team in Formula 1 from 2026, and from Alpine for next year. However, both drivers turned down their offers to join Williams.
The deal was announced by the team on Monday, just 24 hours after the final race before F1’s summer break. Team boss James Vowles said on Sunday he believed the “odds are in our favour” to land Sainz after lengthy negotiations.
I am very happy to announce that I will be joining them @WilliamsRacing next season! Excited about the project and the challenges ahead! 💪🏻
I might tell you that I am unique @WilliamsRacing! Enthusiastic about the project and with the results that tend to… photo.twitter.com/oUg5IexunR
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) July 29, 2024
The move sees Sainz join Alex Albon at Williams next season, replacing American driver Logan Sargeant, who is set to disappear from the Formula 1 grid altogether.
Sainz has signed a multi-year deal with the team that will see him race there in “2025, 2026 and beyond”, it was announced.
“It is no secret that the driver market has been exceptionally complex this year for a number of reasons and it has taken some time for me to announce my decision,” Sainz said in a statement.
Sainz was in action at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
“However, I am confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey and I am extremely proud to be joining such a historic and successful team, where many of my childhood heroes have raced and made their mark on our sport in the past.
“The ultimate goal of bringing Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge I approach with enthusiasm and positivity.”
Sainz took sixth place on Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Why Williams won the race ahead of Sainz
Sainz has been the biggest free agent on the market this year. Despite his fluid nature, particularly as Mercedes took its time finalising Hamilton’s replacement and the uncertainty at Red Bull, he has always seemed primed for a potential move down the grid.
Between Williams, Alpine and Sauber, he had three teams all looking to invest heavily in the future and improve their chances, and he cited Sainz as a key part of their rebuilding plans.
Given the importance of the decision for Sainz, who was probably in the peak years of his career, he always stressed that he had to take his time.
In recent weeks, there have been major changes at both Alpine and Sauber. Alpine plans to end its factory engine program from 2026 and also has a new team principal in the pipeline. Audi has also changed its F1 management, replacing Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman with former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.
GO DEEPER
What awaits Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz now that he is no longer with Formula 1’s top teams in 2025?
Despite years of underinvestment and the challenge of survival, Williams has remained stable through recent change. Vowles has set out a clear long-term vision to take the team up the grid, backed by significant financial backing from owner Dorilton Capital.
It may have underperformed this year with an overweight car that has been starved of upgrades as a result, but it has a ‘no shortcuts’ approach. Even if something could benefit the team this year, if there are bigger gains to be made for 2026 – Vowles’ target year when the rules change – then that must take priority.
It is this vision that has convinced Sainz that his best option for 2025 and beyond lies with Williams, where he will take the next step in the team’s rebuild.
Vowles said in the announcement that he believed Sainz and Albon “would form one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid and have a wealth of experience to lead us into the new regulations in 2026.”
“Their belief in the mission of this organization shows the magnitude of the work that goes on behind the scenes,” he added.
“People should be in no doubt of our ambition and momentum as we continue our journey back to competitiveness. We are here, we mean business and with the support of Dorilton we are investing in what it takes to return to the front of the grid.”
(Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
