Carlos Sainz Jr. headed to Williams for 2025 and beyond

Carlos Sainz Jr. finally announces his plans for 2025

When Lewis Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world and announced he would be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari after the 2024 season, it kicked off rampant speculation on two fronts. First, who would replace the seven-time champion at Mercedes?

And what would this mean for Carlos Sainz Jr.?

While we await clarity on the first question from Mercedes — although speculation continues at a blistering pace regarding young phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli — we finally have an answer on the second matter.

Sainz is headed to Williams.

As the summer break begins, Sainz and Williams announced that they have reached an agreement on a new multi-year deal that will see Sainz move to Williams starting with the 2025 campaign.

I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards. 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,” said Sainz. “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.

“I want to thank James Vowles and the entire Board of Williams for their trust and determination. Their solid leadership and convictions have played an important role in my decision-making. I truly believe that the core of every successful team lies amongst their people and their culture. Williams is synonymous with heritage and pure racing, the foundations of the project that lies ahead of us are very strong and I am really looking forward to being part of it starting next year.”

“Carlos joining Williams is a strong statement of intent from both parties. 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,” said Williams Team Principal James Vowles.

“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. 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.”

The move can only be seen as a massive coup for Williams, a team trying desperately to break out of the midfield and challenge at the top of the table, recapturing some of the magic from their glory years. Adding Sainz — who as of this moment is one of a handful of drivers to win a Grand Prix over the last season-plus — to their 2025 lineup alongside Alexander Albon is an aggressive move for the organization.

However, with Albon and Sainz the team has two drivers who have enjoyed success on the grid these past two years. While Albon has never won an F1 Grand Prix, he scored all but one of the team’s points during the 2023 season, when Williams shocked paddock and finished a stunning seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.

This move also fits with what Vowles has maintained since arriving at Williams, which is a patient, long-term approach. Speaking with the media, including SB Nation, at the team’s New York City launch of their 2024 challenger, Vowles maintained that such an approach would be a cornerstone of the team’s philosophy.

“So everything is about long-term resolution, not short-term [and] as the result of that is that we took and we will continue to take enormous risks with this company. I’m not going to be withheld by the restriction that my job is on the line,” said Vowles back in February. “If we’re not doing a good enough job, the only way to get this team back to the front is [to] break everything.”

Will the addition of Sainz get Williams back to the front? Time will tell.

Of course, there is another side to this coin, and that is the now-cloudy future ahead of the current occupant of that seat, Logan Sargeant. Vowles put his faith in Sargeant, retaining the American driver for the 2024 season after he secured just one point in his rookie season.

Now Sargeant has lost his current seat for 2024 and may be out of the sport entirely, depending on how the rest of the game of F1 driver musical chairs plays out.