Carlos Sainz Signs With Williams

After months of speculation and uncertainty the biggest piece of the 2025 driver market has finally slotted into place. Carlos Sainz has signed with Williams for 2025 and 2026. 

Since Ferrari announced Lewis Hamilton as his replacement over the winter, Sainz has been top of the wishlist for almost every team with an available seat with the exception of Mercedes and, somewhat bizarrely, Red Bull.

Sauber/Audi seemed to be favourites for getting his signature but a disastrous and so far pointless 2024 campaign has suggested that all is not well behind the scenes. 

Similarly Alpine, as a manufacturer team, should’ve been top of Sainz’s list but the revolving door of team principals and a slow 2024 car were enough to make him cautious.

So it fell to James Vowels Williams revival to offer something resembling a good choice and there are several reasons why it could turn out to be a smart decision.

Williams are a Mercedes customer and rumour has it that Mercedes’ 2026 engine is looking very promising.

Furthermore Williams has always been a racing focussed team that doesn’t get bogged down with politics, a foundation that Vowels has used to build a positive team culture. 

For Williams this is a huge vote of confidence and will offer a significant improvement over the outgoing Sargeant. 

A driver lineup of Sainz and Albon is the team’s strongest in a long time and truth be told, a lineup that is too good for a team currently 9th in the constructors championship. 

The pressure is now on for Williams to step up and deliver a car worthy of both its drivers.

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