Sainz signs two-year contract with Williams

Sainz has thus out an end to all the speculation surrounding his future with the team and will join Alex Albon at Grove with Logan Sargeant making way for the Spaniard.

Sainz's announcement at Williams is yet another piece of the puzzle out in place in the F1 driver market.

Ever since Sainz was let go by Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton replacing him, he has been linked with several teams starting with Mercedes in what would have been a direct swap.

He was also linked with a return to Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez, while Audi-Sauber have worked hard to secure his services as well.

With Flavio Briatore appointed as Executive Advisor for Alpine, the French team also made a bid to hire the highly rated Spanish driver.

Williams Team Principal James Vowles has been leading a major rebuilding process for the once-great F1 team, and has announced his intent to hire Sainz early on, many skeptical about his ability to do so.

Over the course of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Vowles insisted his chances to hire signs were good.

He said: “I’m open minded but I want excellence within the team, I want race-winning performance within the team, I want individuals that are leaders, in other words they are established,” said Vowles about his driver line-up.

“So, out of all of those, the top of the list I’ve said from the start is Carlos [Sainz]. Last year he won a race and he did it the intelligent way against some of the best individuals. He’s beaten Lando [Norris] and Charles [Leclerc], he brings excellence along with him and that is where my heart is set.

“The reason he told me is that when I commit, I need to commit with all my heart and all my soul, and to do that 100% and to do that I can’t have any doubts, and that’s why he’s taking his time...

“How confident am I? I think the odds are in my favour but I’ve been stung by this once already this year," Vowles concluded.

With Mattia Binotto announced as the boss of Audi-Sauber F1 operation, many thought his previous links with Sainz from the day he was Ferrari boss would lure the three-time grand prix winner to the German marque's F1 works team, but it was Williams who sealed the deal.

It remains to be seen whether Sainz will see his full contract through, as GrandPrix247 has learned that he has an exit clause in his Williams contract that allows him to leave before the contract is over should a top team come calling.

"Williams Racing today announces that Carlos Sainz will complete the team’s driver line-up for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season and beyond.

"With a decade of F1 competition under his belt, Sainz will join Williams from Scuderia Ferrari on a two-year agreement with options to extend. In his Formula 1 career to date, the 29-year-old Spaniard has achieved three race victories, 23 podiums, over 1,100 career points and is currently sitting fifth in this season’s Drivers’ Championship. After becoming the only non-Red Bull Racing driver to achieve a race victory in 2023, Sainz most recently took victory at this year’s Australian Grand Prix, just ten days after surgery for appendicitis, and has scored four further podiums so far this season.

Carlos will race alongside Alex Albon for Williams Racing for 2025 and into the new F1 regulations era as the formidable pairing look to spearhead the team’s mission to return to the front of the grid. He will continue to race using number 55.

Williams Racing would also like to thank Logan Sargeant for his hard work and dedication over the past two years. As a graduate of the Williams Driver Academy, Logan became the first US driver to score a point for 30 years when he finished 10th in Austin last year, and has played a fundamental role in developing the team. Williams will give Logan every support as he looks to continue his racing career for 2025 and beyond.

Carlos Sainz: “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. 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.”

James Vowles, Team Principal: "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 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."