Has Sainz made the right decision to join Williams? Our F1 writers have their say

Carlos Sainz has ended speculation over his Formula 1 future by signing for Williams, with the deal announced on the first day of the summer break.

The three-time F1 race winner has agreed to a multi-year deal to join the Grove-based squad from next year which will take him into the new rules era that starts in 2026.

The Spaniard had been considered as a key mover in the driver market but with his future solved, focus will turn to other candidates. But has Sainz made the correct choice with Williams?

Here are our writers’ views…

Williams is Sainz’s best, and most realistic, option – Alex Kalinauckas

On the surface, it looks like Carlos Sainz’s choice on where to race in Formula 1 2025 came down to no good options.

Williams or Sauber/Audi – the teams currently occupying the last two spots in the 2024 constructors’ championship. Or the outsider, Alpine, which started the season propping up the grid and has endured massive management (overall and technical) turnover of late.

But in picking Williams, there’s plenty of positive signs for Carlos.

First, the pain Williams endured for 2024 in car design delays that meant the current FW46 is significantly overweight surely won’t be repeated. That’s an instant lap time gain for Williams next year, while its current car can score points on occasion and if everything goes perfectly. Sure, it’s not winning races in Ferrari red, but that’s territory the bump-hating Sauber car cannot reach at all right now and is unlikely to be able to manage consistently even with urgent changes given the famously long F1 lead times.

The Sauber/Audi project has also entered management turmoil of its own in recent months, culminating in Sainz’s former team boss at McLaren, Andreas Seidl, being replaced by the man who signed him to Ferrari, Mattia Binotto, before being axed himself.

At Williams, James Vowles continues to impress – and convincing an F1 race winner in Sainz to join the recovery project after much back and forth will have gone down well with the team’s owner, Dorilton Capital.

James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing

Photo by: Williams

Red Bull wasn’t an option given Sainz and his family’s past history with the Verstappens, plus the team is seemingly intent on giving Sergio Perez every chance to lose it championships.

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