The Spanish driver will join the British team after finishing his final season with Ferrari. But is this the right choice for his F1 career?
Carlos Sainz's choice to race for Williams starting next year has surprised many, causing disbelief and even discontent. Sainz has shown an upward trajectory in his career, with three victories in the last three years (remember that 2023 was practically dominated by Verstappen) and his performances earned him a place in a top-class team.
But staying in a top team wasn't possible. F1 can sometimes be unfair and this is one of those times. Toto Wolff's ambition to sign Max Verstappen or support a young driver like Kimi Antonelli it destroyed Sainz's chances of joining Mercedes and the Red Bull's conservative strategy of not displeasing Max keeping Checo Pérez it left Sainz with no options for a team with podium potential. So, knowing that a team with podium options was not an option, Did Carlos Sainz make the best decision by choosing Williams?
The Spaniard is one of the most complete drivers on the grid, both mentally and athletically, and has made correct decisions throughout his career, which has not been easy (remember that he has already passed through Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari). He is a driver who knows how to seize opportunities, even when they seem non-existent. Andrea Stella (McLaren Team Principal), in an interview with Sky Italia, declared: “The experience with Carlos at McLaren was extremely formative for everyone. He brought a way of working, a cultural element that created an environment conducive to success."
Williams will certainly benefit more from Carlos than Carlos from Williams, but let's analyze why this could be the best option left on the table.
A historic team
9 World Constructors' Championships, 128 poles, 114 victories. Piquet, Mansell, Prost, Hill and Villeneuve are some of the names that contributed to the 7 World Drivers' Championships. The legendary Ayrton Senna had chosen Williams, a team with which he could not win due to his tragic accident in Imola in 1994, where he lost his life. Of course, history is history and the Williams of today is far from the Frank Williams project of the 80s and 90s. But it is always good to remember that this is a historic team that knows what it means to compete and win, despite not having achieved a victory since 2012 and a podium since 2021.
The Vowles project
“History makers. History in the making” is the current motto of the Grove team, and it describes well a minset where Carlos could fit in well, both short and long term. Vowles, who was chief strategist at Mercedes before becoming Team Principal at Williams, brings a fresh air to the English project, and not just with a different management mentality. The main issue with the team's decline in recent years has been the lack of funding to bring forward a solid project compliant with modern F1 standards.
This began to change with Dorilton Ventures' acquisition of the team in 2020, which undertook a thorough, long-term renovation to rebuild a solid foundation. Even if it is not a project with immediate impact, the choice to put Vowles as Team Principal has already brought in Pat Fry (ex-Ferrari) as technical director, expanded the team to approximately 1000 employees (including recently announced key roles) and convinced a driver like Alex Albon to commit long-term.
Carlos' presence in this puzzle can significantly contribute to the growth of the team and, why not, also to his, in an unfavorable and uncomfortable situation, but in a project that offers much more security than Sauber/Audi, with recent changes and doubts about the immediate competitiveness of the project, and with even more uncertainty after Seidl's exit and Binotto's arrival before the project had even started. Alpine, the other viable option, doesn't even present a stable framework, not even with the arrival of Flavio Briatore, with the team director, Bruno Famin, who left his position after only 12 months and the doubts about the transition from the Renault engine to becoming a customer team.
The Sainz-Albon couple in Williams
In the last two years, especially since Vowles' arrival in the team, the team has practically lacked a driver. The Albon-Sargeant pairing has not fully exploited the potential of a team that needs both drivers to collect points, and the American pilot contributed little more than the fervor of his nationality. With the arrival of Carlos, Williams will not only have a pair of drivers far above its potential as a team, but Sainz will test Albon and vice versa, which could be the key to taking the team to another level.
The Mercedes engine
While in 2025 the car will be a continuation and improvement of the FW46 (which presumably will still have no podium options), the current car is the result of a disastrous and unusual winter for the Grove team. The main consequences fell on the weight of the car, which was between 10 and 15 kg over the limit, costing around 0.45 seconds per lap. An improvement that will certainly take the whole year, but which could result in a clear increase in performance in 2025.
But Williams' interesting bet comes from 2026. The most drastic changes of the V6 turbo hybrid era will test all the teams on the grid, and Mercedes seems to have a certain advantage. If so, Williams as a customer will benefit directly, possibly placing the team in a very different position compared to its current rivals.
The pilots market starting from 2026
Carlos is likely to have a dry year in terms of podiums and, more importantly, victories, but lhis decision could be completely focused already on 2026 and the change in regulation. The Spaniard will still be 32 years old, and once all the teams' cards are revealed and their chances on the track are known, the driver market will move accordingly.
This opens up another opportunity for Carlos to try to return to a top team if Williams is still not up to par, as his contract is a two-year period until 2026, with the possibility of extension. This allows the Spaniard to secure a seat for the next two years, with the option to recalibrate your career in line with new regulations, because in the end the goal will remain racing for the best team that can provide a car worthy of a driver who has shown commitment, consistency and desire to win.
