Williams has confirmed its driver line-up for the 2025 season, signing the outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. on a two-year deal to lead the next stage of this exciting project.
So, that’s it. After eight long months, three-time Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz has signed on the dotted line to join Williams in 2025. It’s been a bumpy road for the Spaniard, who was, arguably, blindsided by his current team Ferrari when it was announced Lewis Hamilton would be donning the iconic Scuderia red from next season.
For Sainz, who had plenty of suitors across the Formula 1 grid, it puts to bed months of speculation regarding a driver who probably shouldn’t have found himself in this position; he’s one of the few drivers who has actually won a race this season and has always deserved a top seat in the sport.
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Carlos Sainz deserved a top seat in Formula 1
After interest cooled from Mercedes and Red Bull early on, Sainz had to look elsewhere for his chance to stay in F1. Of course, his future in the sport was never in doubt, but with only twenty seats available, and more drivers looking to stay (and break into) the world’s premier motorsport, Sainz was at risk of being left without many options.
But for James Vowles, who left the comfort of a championship-winning Mercedes team to spearhead the new project as Team Principal of Williams, his choice was clear. The British boss revealed that the wheels had been in motion to bring Sainz over to Williams since Abu Dhabi in 2023.
“We had to run them [Sainz’s family] around the back so they could come upstairs and come to my office to chat. That was the first time I chatted to all of them, and it was the first time I got to know them,” Vowles told Formula 1.
“This was Abu Dhabi 2023, so no one knows what is going to happen with Carlos. What I’m doing is making sure they are aware we’re serious about moving back towards the front and here we are – and get to know me. Then the news struck with Lewis, which caught me off-guard, and caught Carlos off-guard at the same time. So, I started the normal negotiation procedure.”
Carlos Sainz will spearhead the Williams project
The Williams project is one of the more exciting prospects on the grid for a driver like Carlos Sainz; the British team can claim to be the second-most successful team in the history of the sport behind only Ferrari, with championship-winning drivers like Damon Hill, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Jacques Villeneuve. The late, great Ayrton Senna also drove for Williams in 1994 when Prost eventually stepped away from the sport, although the Brazilian couldn’t replicate his WDC-winning drives.
In the modern era of Formula 1, it’s been more problems than podiums for Williams. The team has failed to produce another champion since the glory years of the late 20th century, losing its dominance as Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton emerged as the sport’s two greatest drivers for Ferrari and Mercedes respectively.
But despite the team’s recent struggles, Vowles believes Williams’ project has the highest ceiling across the grid. The new partnership between Sainz and Williams isn’t just about performance on the track; it’s about redefining the team’s legacy.
“I needed a leader, not just someone who is quick in the car,” Vowles continued. “I wanted everything around them to be just right in order to create performance. Carlos has that. If you look at every team he’s gone to – look at where they started and where they finished. You’ll see he has a history of ending in a much better place in the team than when he started.”
Carlos Sainz’s arrival is a declaration of intent for the British-based team and a major coup for Vowles and the team he is committed to building at Williams. Bring on 2025.