Williams have announced Carlos Sainz Jnr will join the team from next season on a multi-year contract.
The three-times grand prix winner, who has raced for Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and the team now known as RB, will race alongside Alexander Albon next season and into the new technical regulations era in 2026 and “beyond”.The announcement ends months of speculation about Sainz’s future after his current team, Ferrari, announced that they had signed Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton to join them for 2025, leaving Sainz without a seat. Sainz had admitted he had been taking his time to decide which team to join for 2025, with reports suggesting that Sauber – who will become Audi in 2026 – and Alpine had also pursued his signature.
The confirmation of Williams’ driver line up for 2025 means that Logan Sargeant will no longer race for the Grove team beyond this season. However Williams have indicated that Sargeant will continue to race for them until the end of the current championship.
Sainz said that he was “very happy” to be joining Williams from the start of next season.
“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,” Sainz said. “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 1st I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team.”
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Williams team principal James Vowles says that his team will have “one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid” heading into 2025 and hailed the experience Albon and Sainz will bring into the major technical regulations changes in 18 months’ time.
“Carlos joining Williams is a strong statement of intent from both parties,” Vowles said. “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.
“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.”
Williams currently lie ninth in the constructors’ championship on four points, seven behind Alpine.
View the current list of 2025 F1 drivers and teams
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Oople
29th July 2024, 15:46
Gosh, it’s such a surprise to see Logan getting kicked out of the seat.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th July 2024, 15:50
I take you’re being sarcastic.
notagrumpyfan
29th July 2024, 15:54
However, I still cannot understand Mercedes if in the end they go for a rookie rather than Sainz.
Williams would be a perfect training ground for a rookie who doesn’t even set F2 on fire yet.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
29th July 2024, 16:06
I’m not sure Mercedes have a say over who drives for Williams any longer. If they want to put Antonelli into an F1 race seat, it’ll have to be one of theirs.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th July 2024, 17:41
@red-andy They never had.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th July 2024, 19:04
In the past they did, they had more control over williams.
notagrumpyfan
29th July 2024, 20:50
In the past Mercedes could put their developing driver in the Williams as part of the engine deal (e.g. Russell). Similar to Haas and Ferrari.
I’m pretty sure Mercedes could still do this as part of the PU negotiation discussions, but I guess they prefer the full price.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th July 2024, 17:42
notagrumpyfan Not really as even midfielders can’t afford being excessively reliant on a single driver in the tight midfield battle.
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:27
Logan thoroughly deserved to lose his seat, but in 5 of 6 rounds after getting the same spec car as Albon, he was within a tenth of Alex in quali and was generally running close to him on track.
Anyway, as a Williams fan, I am extremely excited about this even if they only have him for a short time.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th July 2024, 15:50
Finally & I ultimately became confident about him switching to Williams after the reports over the weekend, & as expected, the formal announcement happened on the first summer break interval week, albeit today already is somewhat surprising.
Nevertheless, this move means the other remaining pieces should start falling into place relatively quickly.
Mr x
29th July 2024, 19:34
+1 I wonder when they’ll announce Newey. Williams with a strong line up, engine and aero could be a regular podium team in 2026
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:44
It’s painful for us that Newey cannot announce his next team until September 1st, but all signs point toward AM at this point.
Simon
29th July 2024, 22:46
“As expected”, as expected, of course…
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
29th July 2024, 15:52
The rumour is, this contract will not come into force, if Sainz is offered to drive Mercedes or Red Bull. In such case, it is a smart move. If this is not true, Audi would’ve been a better choice, with better resources and bigger ambitions.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th July 2024, 17:12
Audi’s F1 program is in a mess right now which is why the two top executives got the boot.
Mayrton
29th July 2024, 19:20
Thinking the same. I think it will be Aston Martin though. Sainz definitely deserves Newey after this PR move from Ferrari.
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:28
Alonso deserves Newey far more.
Mayrton
31st July 2024, 13:22
That is a very good point.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
30th July 2024, 9:56
How do you know? If it’s your take then fine. I have a different opinion – I think Audi are ambitious enough to prepare itself for F1 and ensure they are competetive. I don’t think they will be winning straight away, but I think they are taking right steps to do that in the future. Audi will not risk their reputation as manufacturer. They have reputation as being luxury car maker, competing with Mercedes and BMW.
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 14:43
Based on having eyes. You think Sainz made his decision based on gut feel and social media posts? A team building in good order doesn’t fire its two seniors leaders.
Matt
29th July 2024, 19:27
I worry that (for different reasons!) Audi’s first few years will be a version of Ferrari’s 2020s, but further back on the grid and without being “Farrari” (hear Vettel saying it in your mind). Sainz has done that!
I think Williams is only 1% more likely to get a win before Audi, but I’m certain there’ll be a lot more “look at that scrappy team and driver!” commentary for Sainz at Williams than if he was at Audi. Certainly in the English media, likely beyond too.
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:33
1%? If a P1 is the criteria, maybe. However, I’d be comfortable wagering Audi won’t finish better than P8-P10 in the WCC during its first three seasons. I expect Williams to do better than that.
Leo B
29th July 2024, 20:41
It is a crime, imho, for a driver as fine as Sainz to be sent to the back of the grid while pedestrians like Perez work at the best team. It is preposterous. Someone paying big bucks to keep Perez at RB and Horner accepting the money to provide a home for mediocrity, are both un-palatable.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
29th July 2024, 16:19
Now if they can just convince Newey to join them I will be a happy chappy :)
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
29th July 2024, 16:26
Hate to say it but, on the face of it, this is a big step back for Sainz.
Surprised he’s not going to be Russell’s team mate next year.
Needless to say, if Williams are able to develop a competitive car for him, I’ll be more than happy to be proven wrong.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
29th July 2024, 16:35
@sonnycrockett Indeed
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th July 2024, 19:07
Yes, he waited a long time for this decision, I’m surprised he didn’t wait to hear what red bull decided with perez or mercedes with antonelli, what did he have to lose? He’s good enough he could’ve joined a backmarker team whenever he wanted, even when they already had 2 contracted drivers.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
29th July 2024, 20:03
@esploratore1 The fact that he’s made the call suggests to me that he already knows those teams aren’t options for him.
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:37
+1
It’s clear Merc are committed to Kimi and RBR don’t want to make Max uncomfortable. It’s not all bad news, there should be top drives opening back up soon enough considering the age of FA and LH and the likelihood at least one other team will end up being competitive under the new rules. Two seasons in a quickly improving team is unlikely to be the absolute desolation people are making it out to be.
Alonslow
29th July 2024, 16:26
If Audi comes to the front in 2026 then we will remember this as one of the worst moves in F1 history.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
29th July 2024, 16:37
With Binotto in charge ? I highly doubt that.
Alonslow
29th July 2024, 16:54
Binotto at least has recent history on Ferrari with wins, the last time Williams was competitive was 2014 and the last time Williams had any chance of fighting for the championship was 2003, if I was Sainz I would preferred to get well paid at Audi with hope of being more than a backmarker instead of just being a guaranteed backmarker.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th July 2024, 17:13
People thought McLaren was a backmarker too at the start of last season.
MichaelN
29th July 2024, 17:25
It was, they were running what was essentially a patched-up 2022 car while their delayed 2023 car made its debut later.
Alonslow
29th July 2024, 17:31
Sure Mclaren had an awful car but also they weren’t a backmarker in 2022, so there was reason to believe they could bounce back to their usual ‘best of the rest’ status, that they did far more is the surprise.
Meanwhile Williams has been a backmarker since 2018, the only recent time Williams has beaten Mclaren was in the Mclaren-Honda years as soon as Mclaren dropped Honda, Mclaren was back to beat Williams with relative ease.
My point is choosing Mclaren was a bet for sure in 2023 (See Piastri) but still far more reasonable than betting on Williams going back to 90s performance, forget 90s even 2014 performance is a huge bet and even if the Mercedes engine is the far away best in 2026 I wouldn’t bet on Williams being able to beat Mclaren and Mercedes (maybe they can beat Alpine).
So a perfect move for a old driver looking for a paycheck but for a driver that believes that he can be a Champion, this is not a champion move, but hey let’s see maybe Williams goes back to the old Canon/Rothmans livery days of being a winner.
Matt Clare
29th July 2024, 19:36
Good luck to Audi, but this project is not starting well.
I scanned all the way to the bottom of the 2024 F1 Constructor’s table and Audi doesn’t even have a single constructors point yet! Willams at least has 4.
While I was there, I also noticed that the Kick Sauber Ferrari team doesn’t have any constructors points.
BLS (@brightlampshade)
29th July 2024, 16:28
This looks quite the coup from Williams. Not a bad line up for a “backmarker”
Chris (@austin-healey)
29th July 2024, 16:59
Now the rest of the cards should fall quite quickly….
MichaelN
29th July 2024, 17:27
Is it really a coup, though? He was dumped by Ferrari, Mercedes is apparently not interested, neither is McLaren. Meanwhile Red Bull has an obvious need for a better driver, and they just sit there because their team principal can’t manage two drivers. So what’s left? Basically just Sauber and this.
BLS (@brightlampshade)
29th July 2024, 19:25
Williams, a team who call coming 9th in a race a good result, signing a driver with multiple wins who was linked heavily to Red Bull and Mercedes seats, and who has done exceedingly well against Ferrari chosen one Leclerc, signing Sainz.
Yes, I’d call that a win for Williams.
Patrick (@paeschli)
29th July 2024, 18:24
I have no idea who’s going to get the second Alpine seat or the second Audi seat
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:38
They should give it to Paul Aaron.
Peter707
29th July 2024, 16:37
Not the best outcome for Carlos, but good to see Williams abandoning their habit to have the weakest driver on the grid in one of their cars.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th July 2024, 17:43
Not necessarily the weakest on average.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th July 2024, 19:13
Well, according to the driver rating averages here, the only one who can possibly compete with sargeant this season is perez and he’s driving a way more competitive car, the thing is sargeant doesn’t have a past where he showed he’s a good midfield driver, perez did, so they’re comparable when you consider perez at his worst, not at his best.
Nick T.
30th July 2024, 2:40
Big Williams fan. They’ve had awful pairings for a long time. Last time they had two decent drivers was Bottas and Massa, but they were still very weak. Alonso would have at least gotten one win in their 2014 car and a cache of podiums.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
29th July 2024, 16:44
Arguably as good as their 2018 line-up.
In all seriousness though, this move makes very little sense to me from either party. Sainz is a good, reliable driver no doubt but he’s missing a bit of either star appeal or financial backing like a Perez for example. Personally, I’d have went for a Perez or Bottas – who I think is having a fine season, at presumably much lower wages.
Sainz himself seems to have bought into the same vision that Albon has – under Vowles this team will be podium competitive in 2026. I can’t see that happening, Vowles talks well but they were running Windows XP in January, missed testing deadlines and had to sit out one race. I’m finding it hard to believe they will be more competitive than Aston who are clearly 5th best at present. With Audi behind them, and Enstone always capable of delivering a bottom of the points scoring car where do Williams see their future?
They’ve now got 2 young hungry drivers, a mountain of expectations and a relatively new team boss during the most competitive season for a long, long time. Moreover, they’ve went backwards relatively speaking since they moved away from their straight line special. Sounds a recipe for disaster.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th July 2024, 17:16
The reason they missed these is because he was streamlining and modernizing their car designing process, which increases the chances they’ll improve from where they are now. They still used Excel in the development process, which he was just shocked when he first came in cos others stopped using it years ago.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
29th July 2024, 17:46
Did they dodge Crowdstrike?
F1FanaticOG (@f1fanaticog)
29th July 2024, 16:49
Redbull should have taken him back and replaced Perez. On the paper it looks like a huge step backwards for a good driver like Sainz (has beaten Lando 2 years in a row in Mclaren).
Audi might have been a better bet, don’t know why Sainz didn’t risk going to Audi over a confirmed-underperformer Williams.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th July 2024, 17:18
Cos the Audi program is a bigger mess than Williams now, both in terms of the actual current team and the Audi project seperate from Sauber right now.
dot_com (@dot_com)
29th July 2024, 16:59
This is a massive signing for Williams. The first time in many years that they’ve had two experienced, proven drivers. I’m really hopeful Williams can provide them with a good car next year. It’s kind of a shame for Carlos, as I’m sure a year ago he didn’t envision being in a ‘midfield’ car for ’25. But kudos to JV for snagging him.
I did read a rumor that there is an exit clause if a Red Bull or Mercedes seat becomes available, and Williams would potentially get Antonelli instead, but the statement today makes it sound like a clear cut multi year contract. We’ll see! Either way this a day for Williams fans to celebrate.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
29th July 2024, 17:41
Celebrations are under way. Surprised at the timing, but well done Williams. Even if they’re 12th and 13th next year, it shows intent. It’ll make Albon a better driver, and there’s always 2026… Worst that can happen is he’s the next Massa, on a graceful glide down to sportscars or rallies with Dad or whatever.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th July 2024, 17:45
@dot_com Indeed a clear-cut multi-year deal with option for at least 2027.
T
29th July 2024, 21:42
finally an actual yardstick to judge Albon by
I have always thought his rating was a tad bit skewed too favorably
Even if you give him a mulligan for his Red Bull stint, Latifi and Logan don’t necessarily help paint a clearer picture
I want to see how he fairs against one of the most adaptable and versatile drivers I’ve had the pleasure of watching in modern formula 1
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
29th July 2024, 16:59
I hope it works out for him but I have my doubts. But it seems he had limited options. Red Bull were not interested and Mercedes seemed to be luke warm. Only offering him a place for one year, allegedly. I think he should have taken that because, who knows what may happen in a years time. Lots can change.
Now Carlos is in for the long haul at Williams. I suppose he must have a get out clause though. It seems a limited use of his abilities when there are other people around in what are on paper, better cars, who are not as good.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
29th July 2024, 17:46
@phil-f1-21 I find it hard to believe a one year Mercedes deal was on the table, because if it was then I just can’t see Carlos turning it down. Based on current form and trends, there is a non-zero chance that Mercedes will be a genuine championship contender in 2025. I just don’t see Carlos declining that offer on the hope that Williams become competitive at some point in the next 3-4 years.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th July 2024, 19:26
Yes, it’s very odd, it seemed a no-brainer to me too to accept a year at mercedes, even cause who says antonelli proves to be good enough in f1? If antonelli disappointed, he could’ve got more years.
dot_com (@dot_com)
29th July 2024, 19:39
I get the impression that Sainz didn’t want to wait around for Mercedes to make their minds up on Antonelli and risk getting left without a seat. Bird in the hand and all that.
SteveP
30th July 2024, 19:34
Sainz could have done one year and then the following year found himself sitting in the same seat and mentoring the rookie Antonelli in the other seat.
David BR (@david-br)
29th July 2024, 17:09
Is Verstappen to Mercedes a real thing? Difficult to tell, the rumours have faded. But if it still is, then the Formula 1 driver market must still be up in the air with everyone kind of waiting. Red Bull would replace Max with whom? Russell? Leclerc?? Piastri? Can’t see who else possibly fits. I’d have thought Sainz would be a perfect competitive no. 2 for Max at Red Bull. The fact that isn’t happening suggests more uncertainty about the Red Bull lineup than seems apparent. Just an idea.
Davethechicken
29th July 2024, 17:17
I can’t see Verstapppen leaving Red Bull. I don’t think another team would take the risk with his petulant behaviour.
I can’t imagine Toto or any other principal mollycoddling him like Horner has.
And I don’t think he would dare go against a driver like Russell as a teammate.
David BR (@david-br)
29th July 2024, 18:21
Russell and Verstappen does sound a bit much for even Mercedes and Wolff to handle. Also they very definitely wouldn’t want Verstappen Sr.’s influence over how they run their team, so it would require a maturation from Jr that we’ve yet to see. However, if Red Bull do go into decline, back to third or fourth fastest say, Verstappen is going to move team sooner or later.
Mayrton
29th July 2024, 19:26
But you are very biased and have not worked with him, so that doesn’t mean much. If a team can’t handle a Schumacher, Alonso, Prost, Senna or Verstappen then why bother participating?
Davethechicken
29th July 2024, 19:55
Mayrton biased? I actually don’t really support any driver, but after last weekends outbursts on the radio it is clear Max hasn’t matured since he called Stroll and Garry Connellly the abusive names in 2017 and 2020. Too abusive to even write down even now.
His response last week that it isn’t his problem sounded identical too.
Do you really, truly see Mercedes associating with that? Genuine question.
Roy Beedrill
30th July 2024, 6:16
So far Mercedes have been associated themselves with a guy who didn’t want to get in the car without his piercings. In the end the only thing that matters is if the guy can deliver result or not, and both of these guys are still at the top priority for every team on the grid (well, except Aston Martin, obviously). Didn’t you hear these year’s interviews with Toto, when talking about Verstappen he’s been using more sweet words than British commentators usually use for Lewis? I am 99.9% percent sure there was an offer.
Davethechicken
30th July 2024, 9:39
Roy, if you consider for a second the type of people who buy a Mercedes or a Ferrari, generally wealthy or in the latter case extremely wealthy, agreed?
Now is Max with his expletive ridden rants really someone they will want to market their products?
Are the extremely wealthy impressed by teenage school boy profanities from a grown adult?
Mayrton
31st July 2024, 13:43
You can’t deny Max brings more than the average driver. He sets high standards and is very demanding towards everyone around him. I wouldn’t want to see anything else, otherwise he is wasting my time as a fan. I am of opinion that half of the current field has to leave the sport immediately as they are not at the level you would expect when claiming this is the pinnacle of Motorsport. So the bar needs to be raised. And there are multiple ways to achieve that so, as to the form Max uses we can have a debate on that for sure.
But I feel one should realistically look at how many times this happened vs the number of races he participated in and what his overall contribution is. And as a team one should ask themselves whether you would want someone just like that to put everything on edge and squeeze out the very best. Just like GP can channel it, so should professional team members be able to channel it. And I personally like the WYSIWYG element, there’s no hidden agenda, no sweat talk, no PR and playing the media game. I think it is a trade mark of the current generation and frankly I prefer it over the older generation that played mind games off track, use the media as their vehicle, show hypocrism and insincerity. They are dinosaurs who have no place in sports.
The only clash I would see between Max and Mercedes is Toto. I think we do not have to argue what kind of man that is. He is such a dinosaur. I feel some of the less desirable traits we see in Lewis and George have been prompted by being too close to such a toxic character. So if I were to advise Max, I’d stay far away from Mercedes unless he feels confident he can change their culture.
Alonslow
29th July 2024, 17:41
There was still rumors up to last week and really this is the perfect time for a big offer if Toto wants Max, let’s be real a Mercedes offer now would be real tempting for any driver.
David BR (@david-br)
29th July 2024, 18:22
I guess it’s difficult to second guess where the team’s will be after the new engine regulations, possibly the biggest question mark for Verstappen to consider.
MichaelN
29th July 2024, 20:49
Not sure why the engine regulations are talked up so much, they’re a simplification of the current formula. They’ll also be even more heavily regulated. It’s much more likely that the engines are going to be near-equal.
Sham (@sham)
29th July 2024, 17:38
I’m actually glad that Sainz is going to Williams – I’ve always felt he was overrated, and I’m hoping he can prove me wrong by earning his way back up the grid – he’s been underwhelming in some pretty decent machinery up to now.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
29th July 2024, 18:01
@sham Sainz is not a sprinter – he’s more of a Tour De France driver for the GC. He can stick with anyone, is very consistent, and has a very sharp head on him. The best way to describe him is that he shares more attributes with Prost than Senna. It’s why it’s so difficult to beat him.
Matt Clare
29th July 2024, 19:29
Good summary / comarpision. Thanks!
dot_com (@dot_com)
29th July 2024, 19:41
Fully agree. I think he’s also one of the smartest and cleanest drivers on the grid.
Moi
29th July 2024, 18:08
He measured up quite well against Leclerc, who was supposed to be the big rival to Verstappen if you remember the first part of 2022 before Ferrari decided to become a comedy club.
I would love to have seen Sainz against Russel, as a mirror to the Hamilton/Leclerc pairing.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
29th July 2024, 18:15
I will be interested to see how badly Albon beats him next year.
bull mello (@bullmello)
29th July 2024, 19:07
Should be interesting!
Alonslow
29th July 2024, 20:07
If Albon beats him, either Albon has taking a massive step forward or Max is a god among drivers and Leclerc very overrated.
Al-Hakem
30th July 2024, 15:06
I highly doubt you will see that but time will tell
bull mello (@bullmello)
29th July 2024, 18:49
Hoping for the best for Sainz, and for Williams too.
Dane
29th July 2024, 19:15
It’s a strong lineup for Williams but I have to say I’m surprised he went there over Audi. I the last time a manufacturer sunk money into Sauber they won (when they were BMW). I can’t see Williams getting better any time soon, but in the short term they might be the better bet.
Sergey Martyn
29th July 2024, 19:24
What an epic downgrade! Still can’t believe it.
MichaelN
29th July 2024, 20:52
I really wonder now who Audi is going to sign for their second (first?) seat. For Sainz to prefer Williams over them – assuming it was his call – is quite an indictment of their program, especially given his rallying father’s strong relations with the Audi family. It’s starting to be somewhat reminiscent of the Toyota situation, who made a gigantic investment in terms of technology and testing in the early 2000s only to put Mika Salo and Alan McNish in the cars.
Matt Clare
29th July 2024, 19:51
Unfortunatley, many weeks ago, somewhere in the world, Christian Horner uttered
“We can’t just swap Spanish [speaking] drives we’ll look like bloody idiots”
Janith
29th July 2024, 20:00
Sainz with one of the worst F1 career moves. Watch Ocon beat him in a Haas in the next two years. Damn.
Oxnard (@montalvo)
29th July 2024, 22:47
I think it is the worst option out there, unless he knows more then we know; Newey to Williams. Or perhaps a clausule that he can leave when he wants if Newey doesn’t join (or buy) the team.
An Sionnach
29th July 2024, 22:54
Would be nice to see some serious design talent at Williams now, even if it’s not Newey. He’s not the be all and end all in any case, even if you wouldn’t want to be competing against him.
It will be interesting to see Albon tested. He’s been looking good, but I’m not sure he’s proven himself against a decent driver.
SteveP
31st July 2024, 23:25
In the sense of testing against a decent driver – he had the back half of 2019 alongside Verstappen.
The results suggest he was better than Perez currently is. Ok, low bar.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
30th July 2024, 1:16
Will like to see if SAI takes LEC’s or NOR’s seat in a few years if they plateau.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
30th July 2024, 1:25
Personally, I think Ferrari made the wrong call, but there’s no undoing that now.
Kinda sad to see a very good driver relegated to a backmarker team, but there should only be positives for Sainz driving for a team that seems to have more of an upward trend than some of the other backmarkers.
Let’s hope Williams can deliver in the next year or so.
David BR (@david-br)
30th July 2024, 9:08
@dbradock I guess you mean the wrong call in signing Hamilton? I think the way Ferrari have fallen away this year shows they need to reach another level and not just on track.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
30th July 2024, 6:27
Congratulations to Carlos on getting this seat! I’m surprised Mercedes didn’t welcome him with open arms, as he’s currently got more WDC points than Lewis. I have to assume Mercedes have someone better than Carlos in mind for their soon to be vacant seat, but I’m not sure who that could be. As far as I can tell all the drivers ahead of Carlos on the WDC table have contracts, and in fact all the drivers on the WDC points table down to Yuki Tsunoda appear to have contracts for 2025. Maybe they’re going to ask Valtteri back.
David BR (@david-br)
30th July 2024, 9:02
Antonelli.
SteveP
2nd August 2024, 8:13
I think there is also the ‘small’ issue that when Vowles first started talking to Sainz, Mercedes management (it’s more than just Toto folks) were thinking that they had Russell in seat #2, they Hamilton in seat #1 until Antonelli was ready… i.e. 1 + 1 deal
and then someone upset the apple-cart by offering Lewis lots of money to take the seat that Carlos had on a multi-year deal with extras outside F1.
Rumour has it that Carlos wasn’t keen on the 1 + 1 deal to warm the seat for Antonelli either, but I think he should have gone that way, because if he’s been a good fit, then when Antonelli was ready, I suspect it would be Russell with the loose seat.
F1 shark pool and all that.