Why Sainz shouldn’t feel too downbeat about impending Ferrari exit

Leaving a team that is contending for the constructors' championship for one that currently lies ninth is not a move that Carlos Sainz would have wanted to make at the start of this year. But the Spaniard has reasons for optimism

With the bombshell announcement at the start of this year that Lewis Hamilton would be moving to Ferrari for 2025, it was revealed that Carlos Sainz would be losing his seat at the Maranello-based team. Much speculation surrounded where he would go, and there was talk of him signing for Mercedes or even Red Bull.

After holding talks with Sauber and a late bid from Alpine, it finally emerged in July that Sainz would be driving for Williams in 2025 on a multi-year deal. The options of Mercedes and Red Bull proved unviable for Sainz as Sergio Perez was re-signed by Red Bull, while Mercedes recruited prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton.

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Ferrari is building momentum, with five wins spread between its two drivers in 2024 so far, three belonging to Charles Leclerc (Monaco, Monza, USA) and two to Sainz (Australia, Mexico). The scarlet team has leapfrogged reigning constructors’ champions Red Bull for second place in the standings, and sits just 36 points shy of leader McLaren with three weekends remaining.

Sainz’s Mexico victory was masterful. He dominated the weekend from start to finish, placing in the top three in every practice session, and produced a fantastic lap in qualifying to secure his first pole position of the season.

Despite briefly losing the lead to Max Verstappen at the first corner, he swiftly retook the lead on lap nine and ultimately finished 4.7s clear of Lando Norris for a fourth F1 victory. “I think everyone knew I wanted one more race win with Ferrari,” he told Sky Sports afterwards. “I felt like I also deserved it.”

If Sainz doesn’t win again this season, it could be a while before he sees the top step of the podium again. A Williams driver has not won since 2012, when Pastor Maldonado scored his only Grand Prix victory in Barcelona. It’s therefore understandable that Sainz would want to cherish his remaining time at Ferrari.

Williams is a team with a decorated history, but has in recent years struggled to produce consistent results, falling to the rear of the constructors' championship in 2018-20 and again in 2022. After finishing seventh last year, its best return yet under the ownership of Dorilton Capital, the team is ahead only of pointless Sauber at the foot of the table.

But an upturn in performance, including a 10-point haul in Azerbaijan, has provided hope for the Grove outfit.

Rookie Franco Colapinto, who is keeping Sainz's seat warm after Logan Sargeant was ousted, has sufficiently impressed since joining the team to be linked with a move to Red Bull next season as uncertainty over Perez's future continues. The car has looked generally more competitive as of late, after starting the season overweight.

Alex Albon has proven his merit since joining Williams in 2022, delivering all but five of the team’s points until Colapinto arrived, but partnering with Sainz will provide the Anglo-Thai driver with a new challenge.

After comparing favourably against Norris at McLaren (2019-20) and Leclerc since 2021, Sainz will relish taking the fight to a fellow product of the Red Bull junior programme who, like Sainz, also started his career at Toro Rosso - albeit four years later.

Both have been team-mates with Verstappen, and both have faced the disappointment of losing prime seats - Sainz to Hamilton and Albon to Perez, which resulted in him spending 2021 in the DTM.

Williams team principal James Vowles has lauded Albon and Sainz as the “best driver line-up on the grid”, offering experience and maturity as it enters the new regulation cycle in 2026. These changes may provide Williams a prime opportunity to surge up the order and to build on the improvements the team is making behind-the-scenes to infrastructure Vowles has repeatedly called outdated.

Sainz may have to accept a year of frustration if the status quo is relatively unchanged in 2025, but patience could be a virtue come 2026 and Sainz will have a vital role to play with his recent experience of driving in a top team.

The Sainz-Albon pairing for 2025 is undoubtedly an exciting one, and could prove a huge asset to Williams if it produces a competitive car for next season. Sainz's signing can only be a step in the right direction for Vowles and if he shows Albon the way, it could be a positive move for Sainz too.