Carlos Sainz ‘smart’ F1 2025 Williams move analysed amid damning Audi F1 assessment

Carlos Sainz made the “smart” choice signing with Williams as Jacques Villeneuve says he would never have achieved “anything special” with Audi F1

Dropped by Ferrari even before the first race of the championship, Sainz initially had an abundance of options up and down the grid including Mercedes in what would’ve been a straight swap with Lewis Hamilton.

‘Carlos Sainz’s other options were not worth it’

But as the weeks and months flew by his options dwindled, leaving Sainz deciding between Williams and Audi F1 before Alpine reportedly made a late bid.

Despite Williams lagging behind Alpine as F1 went into its summer break having scored just four points, Sainz announced after the Belgian GP that he had signed a multi-year deal with the Grove team.

“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,” he said at the time.

“I am convinced that this team has all the right ingredients to make history again and starting on January 1 I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team.”

Villeneuve believes the three-time grand prix winner made the right choice, especially considering who his other options were.

“Carlos is fast, he has a lot of experience and he knows how to work with a team,” Villeneuve, the last driver to win the World title with Williams, told Spanish publication Marca . “He is intelligent.

“He will be a very good and much-needed signing for Williams. It was a very good move by James Vowles.

“It will also be good for Sainz. His other options were not worth it. Alpine is all over the place choosing and Audi would probably never have taken him to anything special.”

More on Carlos Sainz and his decision to join Williams

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👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Carlos Sainz and other drivers already confirmed for 2026

Williams outline timeframe for race wins

However, swapping from Ferrari to Williams means Sainz will be going from the front of the grid to the back with his opportunities to score points – never mind podiums – few and far between.

Williams have made strides in the second half of the season, up from four points at the time of Sainz’s signing to 16 after the Singapore Grand Prix.

But it does beg the question: are Williams concerned about how Sainz will deal with that change?

“No, not for a second,” team boss James Vowles told the Beyond The Grid podcast. “I had that worry and over one of our dinners, we had this chat, and he was actually very good in how he answered it.

“He said: ‘No, the way it works is this: the second I sign I give you 100 per cent of everything, but what I’m doing is making sure that I am ready to give 100 per cent of everything to this organisation. That’s the [reason for the] delay [in signing].’

“So he will give everything to this team for it to be successful and Ferrari is a part of his history that’s led to here.”

He also hopes it won’t be long before Williams and Sainz are winning Grands Prix.

“The realistic timeline I’ve given to everyone is we should be in a position to win races in ’27, ’28, something in that ballpark,” said Vowles.

“Hard to exactly pinpoint it, because I want to see the infrastructure come into place first, but that’s the timeline we’re aiming towards.”

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