Sainz to Williams: What's behind the move?
22 August 2024Back in February, Lewis Hamilton made the shock announcement that he’d be switching teams from 2025, leaving behind a squad he’s been driving to victory with for over 11 years and donning the red race suit for Ferrari. The news shocked motorsport fans around the world, and while there had been some speculation about his future with Mercedes, the news still came as a surprise, with Hamilton having just signed a contract extension with the Brackley-based team the year prior.
What became immediately clear was that Carlos Sainz would be losing his prized seat with the Italian outfit and would need to start looking elsewhere for a drive come the 2025 season. Ultimately, his search led him to Williams, with the driver and team announcing the move at the start of the summer break. It’s clear that this isn’t a decision the driver rushed to, having taken six months to announce his new team to the world.
Why did Sainz ultimately land on Williams as the team he would drive for from next year? We take a closer look at the potential reasons for the decision, and what it means for his career moving forward.
A driver on the up
It’s hard to argue against the fact that Sainz is one of the strongest drivers on the grid. Being the only non-Red Bull driver to win any race last year, entering the 2024 Formula 1 season the driver must have been confident about his future with the team. Even this year, after the news that he could be without a seat by the new season was announced, he’s continued his fighting form, taking a further victory in Australia (despite his emergency appendectomy just one race prior) and currently sits a mere 15 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. You’ve also got to bear in mind that Sainz missed a race this year due to his illness – so his current points haul is a seriously impressive feat.
Why then, has it taken so long for him to find a team for next year, and why is the team he’s signed with currently sitting 9th in the Constructors’ Championship? There are a few reasons why this could be the case...
Why has Carlos Sainz chosen Williams for 2025?
When you take a look at what was realistically available to Carlos Sainz for next year, his options were actually quite limited. Straight away, top teams Red Bull and McLaren were off the cards. Both outfits seem comfortable with their driver pairings, with backups already waiting in the Wings if things do change. What other options, then, did the Spanish driver have for next year if not with a team that competes directly with his soon-to-be former squad?
Mercedes was the next logical option. After all, it would make sense to do a straight driver swap with Sainz taking Hamilton’s now-vacant seat. While there was speculation around whether this would be the case early in the year, with rumours of conversations between Carlos and Team Principal Toto Wolff running around the paddock, any hope for a switch to the German team faded as the season progressed. Current rumours now put rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli in that seat for next year, which may give some indication as to where Mercedes are putting their focus – on younger drivers. While Sainz is by no means too old to compete at the front of the field, his age may have played a role in the decision as the driver becomes a more senior figure in the paddock – failing to align with what Mercedes are looking for.
The choice not to sign Sainz could also be down to the route that Mercedes and other teams, such as RB, Haas, and Alpine, take in signing young development, reserve, and academy drivers from their own ranks. With talent in Jack Doohan, Liam Lawson, Ollie Bearman, and more all waiting in the wings for their chance at a full-time race seat, it becomes difficult for teams to deviate from their plans and justify signing a driver from elsewhere to take any vacant seats.
Aston Martin have Fernando Alonso signed until 2026, and there was no reason to believe that the team wouldn’t be looking to retain Lance Stroll for another year at least (although there was speculation at one point that the team would be looking at an all-Spanish line-up, but these were quickly dismissed). Lance Stroll later announced his contract extension in the first part of the season.
With this in mind, there are only two realistic options for who would be able to offer a deal that works for both sides to get Sainz on board – Kick Sauber and Williams. Both teams offer a unique position, currently undergoing complete overhauls to their organisations that, at present, mean they’re at the back of the pack, but could start to move up quickly by the 2026 season.
Kick Sauber are set to become Audi from 2026 when the new regulations kick in. This change represents far more than just a name change, it’s a complete rebuild of the team and its structure. Audi will create their own engines, becoming a new works team on the grid, along with new senior management and facilities. The German manufacturer is clearly going all-in on Formula 1, signing talent from the top of the sport such as former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto as CTO, and Red Bull’s Jonathan Wheatley as team principal. They’re untested, presenting an opportunity to be part of something big and exciting, but with no real experience as a team and a lot to play for in the rest of his career, there was clearly more of a future for him at another team – Williams.
With Williams, Sainz is joining a team with rich heritage and a proven record capable of winning championships, having dominated the 1990s. James Vowles, who joined the team at the start of the 2023 season, has already generated new excitement around the team and its future, announcing big changes to the organisation and operation of the Grove outfit.
If Sainz is looking for a long-term project and to be part of that shift back to a winning team, then Williams is the natural choice for the driver as he enters the next part of his career – especially as the team looks to overhaul its performance from 2026.
How might Sainz's career with Williams look?
Williams have already admitted that they don’t expect to be in the competition using this year’s car – and next year’s challenger doesn’t look like it’ll be competing with the Ferrari machines Sainz is leaving behind. Looking at this, it looks like his first outing with the new team will not be the finest in the Spanish driver’s career.
The excitement around Williams and the opportunities it could provide Sainz all centres around the new regulations coming in 2026. The team are all-in on their 2026 concept, and everything they’re working on within their organisation is to create a competitive car under the new era of Formula 1. If the optimism created by Vowles is to be believed, we could see Williams entering the new era very strong position, sending out a competitive car that’s capable of winning races.
It's likely that this optimism about the future is what persuaded Sainz to join the team – with the belief that by the end of his contract, Williams will be providing the tools he needs to challenge and let achieve what we all know he’s capable of.
