Williams have signed outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz for the 2025 Formula 1 season on a two-year deal.
Sainz has been seeking a 2025 seat since Ferrari announced in February that they were replacing him with Lewis Hamilton next year.
With ambitious Williams having made a major push to sign the three-time race winner to partner Alex Albon, the Grove-based team have beaten Alpine and Sauber to Sainz’s signature with the Spaniard agreeing a deal for the 2025 and 2026 seasons with “options to extend” beyond that.
He will replace American Logan Sargeant as Albon’s team-mate in what will be one of F1’s strongest driver line-ups.
“I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards,” said Sainz, who has been at Ferrari since 2021.
“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.
“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 1 I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team.”
Sainz was seen as a candidate to take Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes and was also linked with Red Bull, before ultimately appearing to be left with a choice between Alpine, Williams or the Sauber team that will become Audi in 2026.
More to follow…
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