Carlos Sainz will race for Williams in Formula 1 next year in what the team has described as a deal that goes into the championship’s new rules era in 2026.
After learning he would leave his current Ferrari team at the start of this year, with Lewis Hamilton being signed to race for the Scuderia alongside Charles Leclerc, Sainz has deliberated over his next move.
Williams had thought its chance of signing Sainz has disappeared with Alpine’s surprise offer to the Spaniard around the time of his home race at Barcelona last month.
But, after team boss James Vowles suggested over the Belgian GP last weekend that he was confident of securing Sainz’s services after all, the deal has finally been done.
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Williams announced it “Welcomes Carlos Sainz for 2025, 2026 and beyond”.
He will replace Logan Sargeant in racing alongside Alex Albon next year, with Williams’ statement saying the team would "also like to thank Logan Sargeant for his hard work and dedication over the past two years" and that "Williams will give Logan every support as he looks to continue his racing career for 2025 and into the future".
This statement and a later confirmation from Vowles suggests Sargeant will not lose his drive mid-year as has twice been rumoured over the first half of the 2024 campaign.
“I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards,” Sainz said.
“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.
“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.”
Vowles said: “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.
“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 [Williams owner] Dorilton’s backing we are investing in what it takes to return to the front of the grid.
“I also want to thank Logan for everything he has done for the team and know he will continue to fight hard for us in the races ahead.”
In signing with Williams, Sainz turns down what is reportedly a lucrative offer from the Sauber/Audi project where he long topped the list of desired candidates.
This move makes it more likely that Sauber will retain Valtteri Bottas – a Williams target had it not got Sainz – for 2025, assuming he is wanted by incoming new boss Mattia Binotto.
Alpine is also still looking for a second driver to race alongside Pierre Gasly for 2025, with Mercedes’ replacement for Hamilton and Red Bull deciding what to do with its complex driver line-up situation across its main squad and RB now the outstanding pieces of next year’s driver market.
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The possibility of Sainz signing a deal with Williams on the condition of a break clause for 2026 should spots at top teams open up again next year – a factor in his lengthy decision-making process – was denied by Vowles to reporters at Spa last weekend.
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