Williams have held talks with a top F1 driver ahead of the 2025 F1 season, F1TV’s Lawrence Barretto says.
Logan Sargeant is out of contract with the team at the end of the current campaign.
And Barretto, writing for the official F1 website, says Williams have put in long-term groundwork over a potential A-list replacement.
Sargeant struggled in his debut season, scoring just one point while teammate Alex Albon brought home 27.
Albon has also out-qualified the American for all 24 races where both have competed.
Heading into the campaign, James Vowles told him that he would have to be ‘the surprise of the season’ to keep his drive for next year.
But in a damning reflection of his standing within the team, Vowles benched him for the Australian Grand Prix last time out.
Williams were only able to run car when Albon broke his chassis in an FP1 crash, with no spare available.
And the team boss elected to let the Thai driver get behind the wheel of Sargeant’s machinery, forcing the 23-year-old to step aside.
Reports suggest that Red Bull have offered Albon a seat for the 2026 season, but he’s under contract for next year.
Williams exploring Carlos Sainz move
Barretto reports that Williams are a ‘contender’ to land Carlos Sainz for next year ahead of the Spaniard’s Ferrari exit.
Sainz, who won in Australia, is losing his seat to Lewis Hamilton after the Scuderia elected to retain Charles Leclerc.
Williams held talks with his management in 2023 as the 29-year-old approached the final year of his deal.
Sainz is aware that a move to the Grove outfit would be a ‘long-term’ project given Williams’ current struggles.
They are one of three teams yet to score a point this season alongside Alpine and Sauber.
‘Perfect’ Sainz would be a massive coup
Sainz is arguably the hottest property on the 2025 market, having taken his tally of victories to three in Melbourne.
The former McLaren man has also racked up five pole positions and 20 podiums in a 185-race career.
1978 F1 title winner Mario Andretti believes he’s ‘world championship material’, while Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok labelled him ‘perfect’ after his win at Albert Park.
Signing Sainz would be a particularly significant statement given the calibre of competition for his signature.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is apparently interested in re-signing a driver who started out at Toro Rosso.
However, the Bulls are willing to wait until the summer before deciding on their line-up, and that could be too long for Sainz.
One F1 insider could see him joining Mercedes ‘no problem’, but Damon Hill has suggested there may be concerns around the optics of the move.
Some may see him as a natural downgrade on Hamilton given Ferrari’s driver decision.
All of this could open the door for Vowles to field a formidable pairing of Sainz and Albon.
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