Sainz signs… for Williams! Multi-race winner lands two-year deal

Several weeks after everyone thought he’d made up his mind, Carlos Sainz has committed his future to Williams, signing a two-year contract with the team ‘with options to extend’.

The 29-year old - who scored a superb third F1 win in Melbourne earlier this year, just a fortnight after having surgery for appendicitis - was left in the lurch in February when Ferrari ditched him to make room for Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

With Mercedes looking set to promote F2 prodigy Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull handing Sergio Perez a new contract, that left the Spaniard weighing up moves to either Williams or Sauber/Audi, with Alpine apparently entering the fray a few weeks ago.

The appeal of Alpine is that the team is reportedly on the cusp of dropping its in-house engine programme in favour of buying powertrains from Mercedes. And last time Mercedes built an engine for all-new hybrid regs - as will happen again in 2026 - things went rather well for them indeed.

But with nothing concrete on that front, Sainz has decided that Williams is a better bet: it definitely will use Merc engines in 2026, while Audi’s F1 project doesn’t appear to be going all that smoothly.

“I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards,” said Sainz. “It is no secret that this year’s driver market has been exceptionally complex for various reasons and that it has taken me some time to announce my decision. However, I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey and I am extremely proud of joining such a historic and successful team, where many of my childhood heroes drove in the past and made their mark on our sport.

“The ultimate goal of bringing Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and positivity. I am convinced that this team has all the right ingredients to make history again and starting on January 1 I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team."

Williams team principal James Vowles has openly pursued Sainz for months, reiterating that the Spaniard was his number one choice in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix. At long last, he’s got his man.

“Carlos joining Williams is a strong statement of intent from both parties,” said Vowles. “Carlos has demonstrated time and again that he is one of the most talented drivers on the grid, with race-winning pedigree, and this underlines the upwards trajectory we are on. Carlos brings not just experience and performance, but also a fierce drive to extract every millisecond out of the team and car; the fit is perfect.

With Alex Albon locked into the other seat, Logan Sargeant is now without a drive for 2025 and his F1 career appears to be over. Vowles thanked the 23-year-old “for everything he has done for the team”, which he joined as a rookie last season.

“In Alex and Carlos we will have one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid and with huge experience to guide us into the new regulations in 2026,” Vowles added. “Their belief in this organisation’s mission demonstrates the magnitude of the work going on behind the scenes. People should be in no doubt about our ambition and momentum as we continue our journey back to competitiveness – we are here, we are serious and with Dorilton’s backing we are investing in what it takes to return to the front of the grid.”

What do you reckon folks, the right move for the Smooth Operator?