Williams are making an ambitious push to sign Carlos Sainz for the 2025 season. Sainz is arguably the top free agent on the market this year after Ferrari made the shock decision to let him go and sign Lewis Hamilton.
Alex Albon has recently signed a new multi-year deal at Williams but team principal James Vowles wants to pair him with a big name. It seems like an inevitability that Logan Sargeant will lose his seat.
Williams held initial talks with Sainz and his management last year but it emerged at the Monaco Grand Prix that they have escalated their interest. It’s a move that few would have expected at the outset given that the Grove outfit are struggling in the lower midfield this year.
Ted Kravitz expressed his surprise at the news, while one journalist found it ‘hard to believe’ when he first read it. But the three-time race-winner is clearly open to the possibility, even if he hasn’t made a final decision.
Sainz has received a ‘satisfactory’ offer from the nine-time constructors’ champions. He’s keen to race with a Mercedes power unit when the sport adopts new engines in 2026.
Red Bull are set to offer Sergio Perez a new contract, while Kimi Antonelli has now won the unanimous backing of the Mercedes board members. That effectively leaves Sainz choosing between Williams and Audi, who will assume control of the Sauber team at the end of next year.
James Vowles says Williams are a better option for Carlos Sainz than Audi
Vowles has been relatively ‘open’ about Williams’ interest in Sainz in the F1 paddock as he mounts a concerted ‘offensive’. Speaking on Auto Motor und Sport’s Formel Schmidt podcast, journalist Michael Schmidt shared what the Williams boss had told him.
On paper, he acknowledges that Audi project might seem more attractive. The giant German manufacturer will enter F1 with a budget to rival the top teams and an ambition to win the title by 2031.
But if Sainz is only going to sign for a couple of years, then Vowles says it would make more sense to race for Williams. They should be more ‘competitive’ than Audi, who will need time to ramp up following their arrival.
“Now there’s the argument from Williams team boss James Vowles, who’s relatively open and deals with the topic offensively,” Schmidt said. “He told me that ‘my comparison is Audi, a factory team is clearly the more attractive solution, it’s a big project and there’s a lot of emotion in it’.
“But he says Williams will be competitive faster than Audi. So if you only want to stay for two years anyway, ‘then you’d better come to us’.”
When Carlos Sainz move to Williams could be announced
If Sainz accepts Vowles’ argument, then this deal could move quickly. The 29-year-old will want clarity over his future because he’s currently without a seat for 2025.
One journalist says there’s a possibility that the move could be confirmed in time for the Spanish Grand Prix on the penultimate weekend of June. That would be ‘perfect timing’ of course, given that it’s Sainz’s home race.
Vowles wants to re-establish Williams as a top team and his vision has clearly persuaded Albon, who was attracting interest from Mercedes and Red Bull before he re-signed. But even if Sainz doesn’t want to put long-term faith in the team, they could be a reasonable solution for the next couple of years.
Come the end of 2026, he’d have a clear picture of how the pecking order has shaken out following the regulation changes. If he wanted to move again, then he’d still be a desirable prospect as a driver with multiple race wins, five pole positions and 22 podiums, provided he fares well against Albon of course.
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