Williams would love to have Carlos Sainz in one of its cars in 2025.
The Ferrari driver will leave the team at the end of the 2024 season and does not have a trip scheduled for next season. And he doesn’t have many options either. Red Bull announced earlier in the week that Sergio Perez would return to be Max Verstappen’s teammate, the open Mercedes seat appears to go to a different driver and the McLaren and Aston Martin driver line-ups will not change heading into next season.
At the moment, it appears that Sainz’s two options are between Sauber, a team that will be an Audi factory team in 2026, or Williams. And Williams team manager James Vowles made it clear on Friday that he believes his team would be a perfect fit for Sainz.
“It has been highlighted that there are one or two options for him and we are one of those two.” Vowles said in Montreal (via F1). “Personally I think we are the right choice; it is a good match made together, but the choice, of course, remains yours.”
It is not unfair to say that Sauber or Williams are a strong downgrade for Sainz. He won the Australian Grand Prix earlier this season and was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023. However, he was left without a vehicle this offseason when Ferrari surprised the racing world by hiring to Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season and beyond.
Ferrari is second behind Red Bull in the constructors’ standings through the first eight races of the season. Williams is tied for eighth with just two points and the two Sauber drivers have not scored any so far in 2024.
But Williams hopes his long-term plan for success is attractive. And he needs a capable second driver. Alex Albon has shown what he can do when given a good car and is signed for the future with the team. Logan Sargeant returned for a second season at Williams in 2024, but has not moved forward. Sargeant was last among full-time drivers in 2023 with just one point and his average result of 17.1 in 2024 is 1.3 points worse than in 2023.
It seems unlikely that Sargeant will remain at Williams, whether or not the team signs Sainz.
Meanwhile, Sainz said he is not surprised by early-season developments in the driver market. Nico Hulkenberg will leave Haas for Sauber next season, Esteban Ocon will leave Alpine (and could head to Haas) and Mercedes could end up promoting teenager Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton.
“Obviously, the news you have seen this week I know from the inside long before you do, because I am in contact with all those teams and it is no surprise to me.” Sainz said.
“My head is busy trying to perform at Ferrari and trying to win, and once I have all the options in front of me, on the table, that my management team is working out, it will be time to make a decision.”