Carlos Sainz braced for barren F1 2025 spell with Williams move reasons explained

Carlos Sainz has accepted that he will not be competing for wins and podiums with Williams in the F1 2025 season following his arrival from Ferrari.

Sainz was informed last winter that he will be replaced by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season, with the Spaniard responding by producing his best-ever start to a campaign in F1 2024.

Carlos Sainz motivated by the process, not results, at Williams in F1 2025

Additional reporting by Sam Cooper

Despite being linked with Mercedes and Red Bull after collecting a third career win in Australia in March, Sainz announced on the first day of the summer break that he will join Williams on a two-year contract “with options to extend” from F1 2025.

Sainz’s switch to Williams is likely to force him to recalibrate his expectations, with the Grove-based outfit currently ninth in the Constructors’ standings with just four points from the first 14 races of F1 2024.

Asked if it will be hard to adjust to no longer fighting for wins, Sainz issued a blunt response and admitted that he has spent most of his career in the midfield since his debut with Red Bull junior team VCARB (then Toro Rosso) in 2015.

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He told media including PlanetF1.com: “No, because being very honest with you I’ve been in Formula 1 for 10 years and eight of them I haven’t fought for wins and two or three of them I have.

“So I’ve actually spent more time not fighting for wins than fighting for wins and Formula 1 for me is a lot about extracting the maximum out of the car.

“The result really is not purely dependent on the athlete and on the drivers, it’s depending on the machinery you drive.

“And it’s all about how am I going to also help Williams, how I’m going to help them and the project move forward.

“That really motivates me. I want to feel listened [to], I want to feel like I can help.

“And this in such a historical team like Williams that has such a clear vision and are super committed to bringing the team back to the front with very clear investment partners, I think it’s something that was important for me.

“I know the results for ’25 might not be wins or podiums, but I still think we can do a good job.”

Sainz’s decision to join Williams ended months of speculation over his future, with the Spaniard heavily linked with the likes of Alpine and Audi before his future was resolved.

The 29-year-old is keen to draw a line under the saga, having found it “very tough” to maintain his performance level while contemplating his next move.

And he is keen to replicate his success at McLaren and Ferrari at Williams, having joined both of his previous employers when they were also at a low ebb.

He explained: “First of all, I think it was important for me to take the decision before the summer break.

“It’s been a very tough [last] seven months of my career where I had to deal with everything that happened in January, in combination with obviously having to perform and deliver as a Ferrari driver in a high-pressure, high-attention environment in Ferrari, in combination with having to decide my future.

“You’re talking to so many other teams and analysing and putting everything on the table at the same time that you’re competing.

“That’s why I gave myself the target to take the decision before the break. And when I took the decision, I wanted to be 100 per cent convinced. That’s why I gave myself plenty of time.

“I took that decision because Williams is the team that, from the beginning, I had very good feelings and very good conversations with.

“I feel like they’re a team very committed to Formula 1 with a very strong project in the future, very strong leadership and the will to bring back a historic Formula 1 team with the pedigree that Williams has back to to the front is something that motivates me.

“It motivated me when I went to McLaren, when I went to Ferrari when Ferrari were down the grid after a tough 2020 and it motivates me now with a project like Williams.

“I cannot wait and I think it’s going to be an interesting few years in my career.”

Asked if the pressure is off now a decision has been made, he added: “I think so.

“It is not easy to both compete at a high level as a Ferrari driver and at the same time having to take such an important decision on your future.

“It did take a lot of space on my mind and I think I was always open and honest with you that I was – I wouldn’t use the word struggling, because I never really struggled and my results showed that I wasn’t really struggling – but for sure it took energy out of my head and took mental energy.

“I remember going into the summer break in August, once I took the decision, with a bit of a relief feeling and saying: ‘OK, now I have to switch off a bit, recharge my batteries and come back for the next 10 races where my only focus is going to be delivering and performing 10 races for Ferrari without having to decide on my future.’

“There will be plenty of time also to think about Williams and to talk about Williams after this race.

“I hope you don’t keep asking me in the next nine races because the decision is taken and then we will have all the winter also to talk about the future.”

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