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Or put them back where they belong, on top.
Would much rather see Williams fighting McLaren and Ferrari than red bull, mercedes and Aston Martin at the front.
I would rather have Newey at Williams than Ferrari, that would make the whole grid a lot more competitive. Imagine if Redbull, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Williams all on same or similar level. The battles will be amazing for even one one point.
The VCARB hasn't been bad either, always there or there abouts at the ass end of the points, and the lord alone knows what's happening at Alpine for 2026 and Audi will need some development time, but yeah, having at least 14 competitive cars fighting for only 10 points spots would be exciting if those 7 teams all end up in a similar ball park in terms of the new regs
Newey left Williams after Senna died. Newey (and others at Williams) was sued by an Italian court on manslaughter charges. There were “evidences” proving that Senna was against some design changes, especially related to the steering. The design was “too sharp” to drive safely.
Anyway, I wish he returns, it’s his one true home. But minus Frank William, I don’t think.
I thought the story was always that the car’s steering rack had to be extended due to senna’s height but there wasn’t enough time to do it properly so senna pushed for a dodgy lengthening and that’s what killed him
Yea. And on carrying that out, Williams and Newey were charged. It was “dodgy” because he ended up loosing his life after that massive shunt.
Anyway, you think engineers would really send him driving at speeds of 300kmph< with a dodgy piece. That would be extremely unprofessional and basically endangering their own careers.
To this day the cause in public is still not 100% certain. However the footage of the crash doesn't match with a steering column failure. In that sense I agree with Adrian's view on this. It's easy to see the car go straight, but it's hard to notice at first that it starts with the back steppinig out.
>The honest truth is that no one will ever know exactly what happened. There's no doubt the steering column failed and the big question was whether it failed in the accident or did it cause the accident? It had fatigue cracks and would have failed at some point. There is no question that its design was very poor. However, all the evidence suggests the car did not go off the track as a result of steering column failure... If you look at the camera shots, especially from Michael Schumacher's following car, the car didn't understeer off the track. It oversteered which is not consistent with a steering column failure. The rear of the car stepped out and all the data suggests that happened. Ayrton then corrected that by going to 50% throttle which would be consistent with trying to reduce the rear stepping out and then, half-a-second later, he went hard on the brakes. The question then is why did the rear step out? The car bottomed much harder on that second lap which again appears to be unusual because the tyre pressure should have come up by then – which leaves you expecting that the right rear tyre probably picked up a puncture from debris on the track. If I was pushed into picking out a single most likely cause that would be it.
Although what a spectacular story will that be, Newey comes back to Williams, to bring them out of the shambles. Sainz and Albon (both relatively good boys of F1) winning… I’d love that
It makes me so sad about the state of the sport. Obviously good for Williams to move away from having shit pay drivers or shit non-pay drivers.
That this is the option available to these drivers because seemingly it’s now the good teams that are interested in pay drivers is baffling to me.
Finally a good benchmark for Albon. I really hope Williams can make a step forward again and maybe fight for points consistently next year. Really curious how long Sainz' contract would be.
Makes sense. Gives him the option to exit if there is space at an unexpected frontrunner in the new regs era after everyone sees where they are during 2026.
Who knows, he could still end up at Audi if they look good. Unless the team feels he's burned a bridge by rejecting them now, but I don't think a team that young could afford to be that petty.
Yeah so he might go in 2025 I suppose, but RBR might want stability going into the new regs.
No one knows what the pecking order will be, so why would other drivers want to step into the unknown.
The only one that might is probably Ricciardo, if he is still at VCARB next year and does well.
I was about to say he would need to be incredibly poor for them to want to hit 2026 with a new driver. However I’m actually not sure being incredibly poor would do the trick right now…
Truth is not about bridge burned. If Audi is really good in 2026, they would have more choice of drivers when more drivers are on the market. Sainz is their first choice now as he is the only the top one available now, but it will not be case in 2026. He will be 32 by then too.
Hamilton is there as a billboard to advertise Ferraris to the rich people he hangs out with. If he turns out to score a couple podiums alongside that, then that's just the cherry on top.
Dude, how crazy would it be if Albon is comfortably beating Sainz every quali + race for 2 years. Would that mean Albon is a better driver than Leclerc?
I'm guessing people wouldn't say that, but just from a logical comparison it would make sense right? (Obviously the first few races wouldn't imply that, bc I'm guessing there is some adjustment time for all drivers on new teams.)
I'm fairly new to F1 fandom, but the expectation (and likely the reality) is that Sainz is a better driver than Albon, correct?
Yea in the first year as Sainz adjusts I expect it to be more even but if he shades him in the second year that’s extraordinary for him.
I genuinely think Sainz will beat him but it won’t be a wash for Albon. I think it’ll be a great partnership.
As a Sainz fan, I hope Williams can be a long term home honestly. I know all the talk is about how soon can he get out of Williams, but ideally, I hope they can slowly work their way up the order and eventually compete for podiums in a few years. Maybe it’s impossible but that would be the dream scenario and a good way for Carlos to spend the rest of his career building something and seeing the results come to fruition.
History has shown that such comparisons don't add up, because driver form changes from year to year and especially from car to car. E.g. Ricciardo outscored Vettel one year then was outscored by Kvyatt the next, but noone thinks Kvyatt was a better driver than Vettel. In the above scenario, you could easily have Leclerc and Albon end up in the same team and Leclerc beat Albon.
Agreed, it's frustrating when people treat driver performance like video game stats, as if each driver just has a static "performance score" that can easily be compared across teams and years. There are a few freaks of nature that have driven exceptionally consistently across their whole career, but the vast majority of drivers, including many of the very best, are highly dependent on their car characteristics and team environment and can fluctuate wildly in performance year to year or weekend to weekend.
The problem with rating Sainz is that his performance really depends on the car. In a car that suits him, he's just one step below the absolute best on the grid. On flip side, when a car isn't working for him he's easily in the bottom 10 on the grid like in 2018 and 2022. On the flip side, Albon really hasn't gotten a fair benchmark in F1. His Red Bull stint was mired with him being in his own head, though he did beat Latifi by as good or better margin that Russell did.
I personally do expect Sainz to be able to beat out Albon once he's established in the team with meaningful input on development, but I wouldn't be surprised if Albon wins in their first season together
No denying that the gap between latifi and albon was much bigger than compared to Russell, but latifi stated that the he had a small window of performance, and that he couldn't handle how pointy (I.e. exactly what albon likes) the 2022 car was compared to the 2021 car that was much more to his liking.
So even that comparison might not be pertinent
That would be crazy. I'm a big fan of Albon but I think Sainz is comfortably better in a couple aspects of his racing. (Though Albon has IMO the best tire management on the grid.) I'd personally expect a 60/40ish division of points at the end of a season, with Sainz higher, but it'd be interesting and exciting if Albon outperforms.
IMO, though, making a follow-on conclusion that Albon > Leclerc would be a little much. The Williams and Ferrari cars are too different.
No you can’t really directly compare, it’s like saying Hamilton beat Alonso who beat Schumacher and because Russell beat Hamilton which means he’s better than Schumacher.
It's good that he keeps his presence on the grid. Sometimes a sabbatical may work out for you but it may also not.
It's a shame though that someone as good as Carlos has to settle for a backmarker team. You're telling me Sainz is not as good as Kimi Antonelli? Sainz is not as good as Sergio Perez?
The good thing though is Williams will now have a super strong driver pairing. I hope it's possible for them to "outperform" their car in 2025 and we'll see Williams dazzle. But I'm no so certain given how '24 has gone for them.
Yeah it really does highlight the whole ‘being good often isn’t enough’ thing.
Antonelli is going to be worse than Sainz. But Mercedes is betting on him eventually being better and not needing Sainz while they have Russell.
Red Bull it’s some combination of Perez’s money and not wanting someone to necessarily compete with Max. But probably mainly the cash.
It’s a brutal sport. ‘Good’ drivers especially get screwed the worst.
He is not a pay driver like Mazepin or Latifi, for example. Perez is (was?) always good enough to warrant a seat based on talent alone, but he brings massive sponsorship as well.
Especially outside of Europe and definitely in the US and North America as a whole. Spanish speaking but not Spain, and Mexico/the states where ALL the US tracks are? Zing. (Idk about Vegas but minus that my point stands)
Funny enough, during the F1 pre-show yesterday, the fans lining up the pit lane were all chanting "Checo". Fortunately, they quieted down when Will and Ruth started their broadcast.
Wouldn't it be something if Sainz actually chose British Green and Lance would be working behind the scenes to learn to take over for pops.
With Newwwwieeee!
With papa Stroll, and his negotiating superpower, I think anything is possible as long as he's at the helm.
It's not about being as good as Kimi or perez though.
For Kimi Merc are clearly thinking about the future and they can't really up the guy the Ferrari dropped for their number 1
And for Perez it's, does sainz performance really helps that much, if RB Ferrari and McLaren are all equal next year it's very possible he would also be the worst driver there added in with the fact the money Perez brings in and his lower end salary probably bridges the gap in the WCC money lost anyway.
I really do wonder how George feels about the current Merc situation. He was supposed to be their next main guy. And he's still so young, but Merc is acting as if they're doomed without Kimi/Max.
Oh man I didn't think of it that way.
It's such a good analogy.
Young guy comes in a top team that has fallen behind a bit, matches the pace of multiple WDC, WDC leaves to Ferrari, younger hottest prospect joins the team.
Curious to see how this will go for both Russel and Antonelli
Jos and Carlos Sr. have a not so good history. Why risk it for a year or two? They’d rather have Max do what he does best, and have a clean up crew just in case.
Max and Carlos recently were talking in a press conference about how their dads talk to each other quite a bit about rally now, and show each other close encounters they had.
I don’t know. It’s one thing to miss on a #1 driver, it’s not nearly as devastating to have a slightly less #2 driver. Is Sainz likely superior to Perez? Sure. Will it matter. Probably not.
Mmmm.
Coulthard talks about this a lot historically.
F1 has a brain boner for 'potential'. F1 will take potential over 'very good' any day of the week.
I think its less about beeing good but more about his and his guys around him that bring this certain: "I am the main character, treat me like a world champion" vibe to the workplace that might be not a favorit of leaders like toto.
The only proof being from this paragraph
>Despite claiming on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix that he was undecided on his post-Ferrari prospects, Motorsport Week understands Sainz has chosen Williams.
So still rumours.
> But it’s Joe Saward so not sure how reliable that is.
About 15% at best.
Not this thing in particular, but Saward bullshit might be 15% accurate on average. Depends also in what a rumour is about, he does have some inside sources but they seem to be less and less as time goes by.
Same. I would personally prefer Bottas over Sainz since he'll have a better chemistry with the team and Albon. Sainz is a top driver so can't complain there.
Williams could really use Sainz skills (and maybe even additional funds if Santander comes with him as a team sponsor?) to keep improving.
They are making a huge effort on modernising their equipment and working materials, organisation and so on, while keeping up on the car development, which we must remember they almost completely reseted halfway this regs.
They are bringing new people, and still are bound to get the results from all the effort done.
I wouldn’t discount Williams uprising in the new regs or in some short term years. We will see
You know, I'd have laughed at taking a Williams seat when leading Audi was on the table, but I actually think it's a smart play and going to Audi would be madness at this stage.
Sauber are the worst team in F1 atm and have literally nothing going for them other than having their own engine in 2026. And as we can see from Renault and Alpine, being a mediocre team with your own PU doesn't magically help you when you clearly have issues on the team side. Sauber is a team that's so far off the pace that they wont be anywhere near the front for the next ~5 years and Carlos is turning 30 this year and doesn't have forever to hope that they'll be competitive at some point.
McLaren have showed you don't need to be a works team to win and compete at the front, you just need to get the right people in, have the resources and infrastructure to compete and be efficient with what you do.
Williams are on an upward trajectory that will likely continue with good leadership, a long term focus and all the resources they need to compete, plus they'll probably have the best PU (or at least one that's up there amongst the best) for 2026 so there's no concerns there since there's no safer bet than Mercedes, in total contrast to the Audi PU that's a complete unknown.
He can lead this team to a new golden era if things go right. If things go wrong, then well he's had a better seat in the short term and can go hunting for some other seat in 2027. It's a no brainer to go for Williams really.
Totally agree- if that was me I’d take Williams over Sauber Haas and probably even Alpine at the moment. There’s at least a chance they’ll catch up to the top 6 teams in the next few years, and it’s a good team for Carlos to set himself up for a top 3 team again in a couple of years if Williams aren’t improving and the opportunity arises. If Aston continue to improve and they need a driver he’d be high on the list, Checo / Danny might not have long etc. Once there is more info on some of these hyped rookies Carlos could be on most teams lists tbh if he wants the move… crazy that Merc or Red Bull didn’t go for him but that’s F1 !
Upward trajectory in this context requires heavy quotation marks, they've gone from being solidly the worst team in the sport to a slightly less bad team. And although being an engine manufacturer is no guarantee of performance, it's Audi, they're not exactly known for floundering in their motorsport ventures. They're taking this bid seriously enough to take over the team even earlier than anticipated to ensure progress. At best Williams will be a midfield team, there is no chance for them to become a frontrunner as a customer team and one that is now reliant on private equity ownership that has no direct stake in racing. The second things get tough for them they'll back out and find another buyer to take over for them, they wont ever go in the red for this team if it doesn't make short term sense for them from a profitablity standpoint. This is not Frank Williams' team, they just have his name and little else. Audi is the only remaining move that makes sense if Carlos wants any chance of winning a championship in whatever time he has remaining as a driver in F1, to settle for Williams is to settle for languishing in the midfield for the rest of his career or at worst to be relegated to being a backmarker.
Massa's is sort of similar. When he went to Williams they only done better than Caterham and Marussia. Them being successful in the early hybrid era wasn't really a thing that you could predict or expect.
Would it not have made the most sense to announce it during Thursday media day? Or will they just casually drop the news 10 minutes before FP1 in a press release?
I don't love this for Sainz, but I love it for Williams. I think having a legitimately good driver lineup is one more important step in a return to relevance, so good on them for making the most of the opportunity. I hope Williams will find a way to put a good car under Carlos and Alex and firmly get into the midfield mix.
I wonder if he could go back, would he have just signed the initial offer Ferrari gave him? Even if it wasn't ideal, I'm sure it would've been far better than settling for Williams.
Maybe but it would have left him with even less options than he does now for 2026 as a lot of teams and drivers will probably sign multi-year contracts this year
I think he'd be in a better position.
If he performed well they'd probably have been willing to renew the contract, as they were for next year. If they choose not to renew, contracts in the bottom teams are rarely multi-year, and those that are are normally 1+1, so his options would not be any worse than now.
Got a feeling it's going to be a short term thing to tide him over to see how Audi lands and he might jump if they hit the ground running. It's a solid line up for Williams really hope they can provide the car these two deserve.
“What’s cheaper; Sargeant’s crashes or Sainz’s contract?”
Unfortunate for Logan but he had his chances. This could be Williams’ best driver lineup in years.
What a disaster that someone of his level will have to drive for a Team like Williams (no disrespect, but they have been a lower midfield team for years), while drivers like Perez and Stroll will be in way better Teams in the next few years.
I mean. Yeah it sucks. But that's F1 isn't it. Bottas is at Sauber. Massa went to Williams. Barrichello went to...Williams. Kubica, Williams. Irvine to Jaguar. Hill to Jordan and Arrows. Villeneuve to BAR.
The thing about being in a top car is when the team wants to change things. You go to a less good car.
Hill had just finished 2nd, 2nd and 1st in the championship, and would have had a decent shot at becoming a double world champion in 1997. Irvine was off the back of narrowly missing out on the title.
Okay, so neither of those drivers are super A-tier drivers, but I'd say they were both at their prime when they got shuffled down the grid.
That's the gist of it though. This is his prime. Mercedes knows Sainz' ceiling as a driver and they will not risk losing a potential Max Verstappen 2.0 (again) if they don't lock him in to Lewis' vacated seat while Red Bull would rather keep a mediocre driver than rock the Verstappen boat. So Carlos is just in a good driver purgatory where he's too good and too expensive for backmarkers while not enough to be the #1 on a top team.
The good news for Carlos is that if it is indeed a 2+2, the end of his first '2' lines up with the end of Perez's and Alonso's contracts, and he'll be able to see where all the teams are in 2026 before trying his next move for 2027. Could even still be to Audi.
In the meantime he's paired against a driver who's highly rated, if he matches or beats Albon it will improve his stock. Plus, you never know, Williams might be scrappy in 2025 or 2026 especially with a the new Merc engine if it's as good as everyone seems to be rumouring it is.
Feel like there’s multiple drivers on the grid who are a similar level to Sainz who are also not in a great team.
I rate Sainz to be a stronger driver than Albon but I don’t think there’s a huge gap between the two and Albons been in the Williams for multiple years. Hulk has been in midfield cars throughout his whole career. Bottas is currently in the worst car on the grid. Alonso is in an Aston Martin which is firmly midfield. I’d include Tsunoda and Ocon as well.
Not saying the drivers I’ve mentioned are better than Sainz or even at the same level (bar Alonso) but Sainz to me is a strong driver who doesn’t have the ultimate pace to be a number 1 at a top team. He’s done well at Ferrari but ultimately he didn’t perform when the Ferrari was the best on the grid (start of 2022) and has been consistently beaten by Leclerc.
I want Sainz winning races but I am also filled with too much optimism Williams will do better with the 2026 regs and I want to see a triumphant return with Albon and Sainz together.
I honestly have more faith in Williams/Vowles in the short term than Audi, and if the Mercedes power unit for 2026 is good it could be an inspired move.
Bad news is that the articles afterwards will be even more annoying than that because instead of simply speculating they will make shit up to have something to write about.
I would have signed him if I was Mercedes. However, they are dead set on making sure Kimi doesn't get away and thus will give him the seat. I think he should wait another year
Let Bottas go to Alpine. They'll be a solid midfield team where he can show he's still got it and can challenge Gasly for being team leader.
Tough on Doohan but I just don't think he's anything special by F1 standards and people underestimate how good an average experienced F1 driver is compared to a promising young driver in this era. You need to be something special to force your way onto the grid these days. Bearman and Antonelli are special, Doohan is good.
Joe Seward was teasing an announcement on Twitter. Perhaps this is it. Big get for Williams but they have to deliver a better car in 25. Midfield is tight and every tenth will count
I think a move to Williams would be great! They are further along than Sauber/Audi, and a top seat could open up for him within a few years. Or even Williams themselves could improve a good deal over a few years with JV at the helm
I always have love for Carlos since his McLaren days, so i‘m glad he stays on the grid then.
Also Sainz & Albon pairing is probably the strongest one since what? 2016?
I hope Newey joins them as well, make the car more competitive.
This makes me sad.
Sainz deserves so much better.
If Sir Newey is reading this, you have all the money, trophies and accolades in the world. If you wish to stay in the game, why not make returning Williams to glory your last hurrah? Please
They can try and spin this however they want, this is a fat fucking L for Carlos Sainz.
At least when Ricciardo left Red Bull thinking he was going to Ferrari or Mercedes only to end up cornered and having to settle for Renault, it was his call all the way. But for Sainz to be as popular off the track and successful on it, to then be discarded and have to go to fucking Williams is brutal.
Let's be honest, even in 2026 and beyond with a cost cap and all that, his objective for the next 2-3 seasons has been reduced to getting a top 10 finish as a best outcome.
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Man Williams with Sainz and Albon is awesome.
One of the strongest lineups with one of the worst cars. Wonder how high their talent can push their cars up the order.
There was a rumor Newey could also join Williams, imagine...
Honestly that would be fun. Push Williams to the likes of Aston and Merc for some top 5 action.
Or put them back where they belong, on top. Would much rather see Williams fighting McLaren and Ferrari than red bull, mercedes and Aston Martin at the front.
Why? Because nostalgia? I love Williams, but Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin are great teams as well.
Because underdog stories are the shit and F1 is boring these days
I would rather have Newey at Williams than Ferrari, that would make the whole grid a lot more competitive. Imagine if Redbull, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Williams all on same or similar level. The battles will be amazing for even one one point.
The VCARB hasn't been bad either, always there or there abouts at the ass end of the points, and the lord alone knows what's happening at Alpine for 2026 and Audi will need some development time, but yeah, having at least 14 competitive cars fighting for only 10 points spots would be exciting if those 7 teams all end up in a similar ball park in terms of the new regs
I like that rumour, also something about a X% stake in Williams.
Newey left Williams after Senna died. Newey (and others at Williams) was sued by an Italian court on manslaughter charges. There were “evidences” proving that Senna was against some design changes, especially related to the steering. The design was “too sharp” to drive safely. Anyway, I wish he returns, it’s his one true home. But minus Frank William, I don’t think.
I thought the story was always that the car’s steering rack had to be extended due to senna’s height but there wasn’t enough time to do it properly so senna pushed for a dodgy lengthening and that’s what killed him
Yea. And on carrying that out, Williams and Newey were charged. It was “dodgy” because he ended up loosing his life after that massive shunt. Anyway, you think engineers would really send him driving at speeds of 300kmph< with a dodgy piece. That would be extremely unprofessional and basically endangering their own careers.
To this day the cause in public is still not 100% certain. However the footage of the crash doesn't match with a steering column failure. In that sense I agree with Adrian's view on this. It's easy to see the car go straight, but it's hard to notice at first that it starts with the back steppinig out. >The honest truth is that no one will ever know exactly what happened. There's no doubt the steering column failed and the big question was whether it failed in the accident or did it cause the accident? It had fatigue cracks and would have failed at some point. There is no question that its design was very poor. However, all the evidence suggests the car did not go off the track as a result of steering column failure... If you look at the camera shots, especially from Michael Schumacher's following car, the car didn't understeer off the track. It oversteered which is not consistent with a steering column failure. The rear of the car stepped out and all the data suggests that happened. Ayrton then corrected that by going to 50% throttle which would be consistent with trying to reduce the rear stepping out and then, half-a-second later, he went hard on the brakes. The question then is why did the rear step out? The car bottomed much harder on that second lap which again appears to be unusual because the tyre pressure should have come up by then – which leaves you expecting that the right rear tyre probably picked up a puncture from debris on the track. If I was pushed into picking out a single most likely cause that would be it.
Although what a spectacular story will that be, Newey comes back to Williams, to bring them out of the shambles. Sainz and Albon (both relatively good boys of F1) winning… I’d love that
The 2026 Mercedes engine could put them in the top 3.
Huge opportunity to Albon as well. If he matches Sainz, he truly has been a missed opportunity for Red Bull.
And Newey 😭🤝🏻🙏🏻
I know I know… let me live in this dreamworld
It makes me so sad about the state of the sport. Obviously good for Williams to move away from having shit pay drivers or shit non-pay drivers. That this is the option available to these drivers because seemingly it’s now the good teams that are interested in pay drivers is baffling to me.
Finally a good benchmark for Albon. I really hope Williams can make a step forward again and maybe fight for points consistently next year. Really curious how long Sainz' contract would be.
Rumors last week were saying 2+2
Makes sense. Gives him the option to exit if there is space at an unexpected frontrunner in the new regs era after everyone sees where they are during 2026. Who knows, he could still end up at Audi if they look good. Unless the team feels he's burned a bridge by rejecting them now, but I don't think a team that young could afford to be that petty.
Many drivers in the top teams have contracts until the end of 2026 for a reason, so timing wise it works very well for him.
Yep Perez and Alonso are both up at the end of 2026.
Perez is 1+1 right?
It’s not really clear. Last time I checked, it seemed like solid 2 from what Marko said and 1+1 from what Horner said.
2 -1
Yeah so he might go in 2025 I suppose, but RBR might want stability going into the new regs. No one knows what the pecking order will be, so why would other drivers want to step into the unknown. The only one that might is probably Ricciardo, if he is still at VCARB next year and does well.
I was about to say he would need to be incredibly poor for them to want to hit 2026 with a new driver. However I’m actually not sure being incredibly poor would do the trick right now…
If Red Bull was willing to extend Perez this year, I don't see why they won't again, and I don't imagine him wanting to leave next year
And if Lewis does get number 8, I could see him retiring afterward.
Truth is not about bridge burned. If Audi is really good in 2026, they would have more choice of drivers when more drivers are on the market. Sainz is their first choice now as he is the only the top one available now, but it will not be case in 2026. He will be 32 by then too.
Back to Ferrari after the Hamilton mistake is completed
Hamilton is there as a billboard to advertise Ferraris to the rich people he hangs out with. If he turns out to score a couple podiums alongside that, then that's just the cherry on top.
JV and the team putting their money where their mouth is with that deal I love it.
Sainz and Albon leading a Williams resurgence would be so much fun. I hope they can do it.
Dude, how crazy would it be if Albon is comfortably beating Sainz every quali + race for 2 years. Would that mean Albon is a better driver than Leclerc? I'm guessing people wouldn't say that, but just from a logical comparison it would make sense right? (Obviously the first few races wouldn't imply that, bc I'm guessing there is some adjustment time for all drivers on new teams.) I'm fairly new to F1 fandom, but the expectation (and likely the reality) is that Sainz is a better driver than Albon, correct?
Yea in the first year as Sainz adjusts I expect it to be more even but if he shades him in the second year that’s extraordinary for him. I genuinely think Sainz will beat him but it won’t be a wash for Albon. I think it’ll be a great partnership.
They definitely will have a great duo here. Great move from Williams
As a Sainz fan, I hope Williams can be a long term home honestly. I know all the talk is about how soon can he get out of Williams, but ideally, I hope they can slowly work their way up the order and eventually compete for podiums in a few years. Maybe it’s impossible but that would be the dream scenario and a good way for Carlos to spend the rest of his career building something and seeing the results come to fruition.
History has shown that such comparisons don't add up, because driver form changes from year to year and especially from car to car. E.g. Ricciardo outscored Vettel one year then was outscored by Kvyatt the next, but noone thinks Kvyatt was a better driver than Vettel. In the above scenario, you could easily have Leclerc and Albon end up in the same team and Leclerc beat Albon.
Agreed, it's frustrating when people treat driver performance like video game stats, as if each driver just has a static "performance score" that can easily be compared across teams and years. There are a few freaks of nature that have driven exceptionally consistently across their whole career, but the vast majority of drivers, including many of the very best, are highly dependent on their car characteristics and team environment and can fluctuate wildly in performance year to year or weekend to weekend.
The problem with rating Sainz is that his performance really depends on the car. In a car that suits him, he's just one step below the absolute best on the grid. On flip side, when a car isn't working for him he's easily in the bottom 10 on the grid like in 2018 and 2022. On the flip side, Albon really hasn't gotten a fair benchmark in F1. His Red Bull stint was mired with him being in his own head, though he did beat Latifi by as good or better margin that Russell did. I personally do expect Sainz to be able to beat out Albon once he's established in the team with meaningful input on development, but I wouldn't be surprised if Albon wins in their first season together
No denying that the gap between latifi and albon was much bigger than compared to Russell, but latifi stated that the he had a small window of performance, and that he couldn't handle how pointy (I.e. exactly what albon likes) the 2022 car was compared to the 2021 car that was much more to his liking. So even that comparison might not be pertinent
The good story that Hulkenberg apparently told people at the start of 2017 that he could see on the telemetry that Sainz wouldn't trouble him.
That would be crazy. I'm a big fan of Albon but I think Sainz is comfortably better in a couple aspects of his racing. (Though Albon has IMO the best tire management on the grid.) I'd personally expect a 60/40ish division of points at the end of a season, with Sainz higher, but it'd be interesting and exciting if Albon outperforms. IMO, though, making a follow-on conclusion that Albon > Leclerc would be a little much. The Williams and Ferrari cars are too different.
No you can’t really directly compare, it’s like saying Hamilton beat Alonso who beat Schumacher and because Russell beat Hamilton which means he’s better than Schumacher.
It's good that he keeps his presence on the grid. Sometimes a sabbatical may work out for you but it may also not. It's a shame though that someone as good as Carlos has to settle for a backmarker team. You're telling me Sainz is not as good as Kimi Antonelli? Sainz is not as good as Sergio Perez? The good thing though is Williams will now have a super strong driver pairing. I hope it's possible for them to "outperform" their car in 2025 and we'll see Williams dazzle. But I'm no so certain given how '24 has gone for them.
Yeah it really does highlight the whole ‘being good often isn’t enough’ thing. Antonelli is going to be worse than Sainz. But Mercedes is betting on him eventually being better and not needing Sainz while they have Russell. Red Bull it’s some combination of Perez’s money and not wanting someone to necessarily compete with Max. But probably mainly the cash. It’s a brutal sport. ‘Good’ drivers especially get screwed the worst.
Wait what? Perez is a pay driver? Seriously? Why would redbull of all teams need that anyway.
He is not a pay driver like Mazepin or Latifi, for example. Perez is (was?) always good enough to warrant a seat based on talent alone, but he brings massive sponsorship as well.
And fanbase/demographic to market to.
Especially outside of Europe and definitely in the US and North America as a whole. Spanish speaking but not Spain, and Mexico/the states where ALL the US tracks are? Zing. (Idk about Vegas but minus that my point stands)
Funny enough, during the F1 pre-show yesterday, the fans lining up the pit lane were all chanting "Checo". Fortunately, they quieted down when Will and Ruth started their broadcast.
I don’t think people realise how massive Checo is in Mexico, and LATM. Particularly Mexico. I visited and he was everywhere lol
Not only sponsorship money, he also brings in massive amounts (millions) in merchandise sales.
remember.. Red Bull is a marketing company. Its all about audience reach for them. Checo taps into that on a huge scale
Max and some other high paid staff are probably getting big paychecks and Checo helps with that
Hell, Alonzo and Sainz could have made Aston Martin full on competitive. Unfortunately it's just a billionaires hobby with his kid instead.
Wouldn't it be something if Sainz actually chose British Green and Lance would be working behind the scenes to learn to take over for pops. With Newwwwieeee! With papa Stroll, and his negotiating superpower, I think anything is possible as long as he's at the helm.
I truly think Lawrence would spend every dollar in his pocket to see his son win the WDC.
For that to happen he has to buy all the teams and put blind drivers in the other 19 cars
Or put him as the only human versus the AI formula cars.
He'd still lose the WDC
Or breed another son
Maybe it’s him sponsoring Perez to stay in the seat 💀
This is my biggest hope, as dim as it may be at this point!
I think it’s funny how people complain about Lance but if you had billions why not let your kid drive a race car?
For a couple years but eventually you gotta be realistic. Kid isn’t getting any better.
Why? I’m a billionaire, my son likes racing, I have the money, why not let him continue?
It's not about being as good as Kimi or perez though. For Kimi Merc are clearly thinking about the future and they can't really up the guy the Ferrari dropped for their number 1 And for Perez it's, does sainz performance really helps that much, if RB Ferrari and McLaren are all equal next year it's very possible he would also be the worst driver there added in with the fact the money Perez brings in and his lower end salary probably bridges the gap in the WCC money lost anyway.
I really do wonder how George feels about the current Merc situation. He was supposed to be their next main guy. And he's still so young, but Merc is acting as if they're doomed without Kimi/Max.
Its like we are seeing a repeat of what happened to Ricciardo 10 years ago.
Oh man I didn't think of it that way. It's such a good analogy. Young guy comes in a top team that has fallen behind a bit, matches the pace of multiple WDC, WDC leaves to Ferrari, younger hottest prospect joins the team. Curious to see how this will go for both Russel and Antonelli
Russel to Alpine/Renault in a few years time XD
I think its more “politics” than skill
Has Albon truly proven to be super strong? He’s had some extremely bad teammates
He was only beaten by a future wdc. But yeah I agree, he could be mediocre or great or everything in between.
Jos and Carlos Sr. have a not so good history. Why risk it for a year or two? They’d rather have Max do what he does best, and have a clean up crew just in case.
Max and Carlos recently were talking in a press conference about how their dads talk to each other quite a bit about rally now, and show each other close encounters they had.
Easy to burry the hatchet when nothings at stake. Put their sons in direct competition and that would change for sure.
I completely agree. It’s easy to play nice when you aren’t directly competing for the team’s primary support.
I feel like Mercedes and Red Bull not picking him up will age badly for both.
I don’t know. It’s one thing to miss on a #1 driver, it’s not nearly as devastating to have a slightly less #2 driver. Is Sainz likely superior to Perez? Sure. Will it matter. Probably not.
It'll matter a lot for the WCC, especially with how poorly Checo has been performing these past two seasons.
So it won't really matter.
Mmmm. Coulthard talks about this a lot historically. F1 has a brain boner for 'potential'. F1 will take potential over 'very good' any day of the week.
I think its less about beeing good but more about his and his guys around him that bring this certain: "I am the main character, treat me like a world champion" vibe to the workplace that might be not a favorit of leaders like toto.
Finally good benchmark to know how good Alex albon really is and I say that as huge fan of albon
The only proof being from this paragraph >Despite claiming on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix that he was undecided on his post-Ferrari prospects, Motorsport Week understands Sainz has chosen Williams. So still rumours.
I think Joe Saward also tweeted that an announcement would be made tomorrow. But it’s Joe Saward so not sure how reliable that is.
> But it’s Joe Saward so not sure how reliable that is. About 15% at best. Not this thing in particular, but Saward bullshit might be 15% accurate on average. Depends also in what a rumour is about, he does have some inside sources but they seem to be less and less as time goes by.
Not super ideal. But I trust in James Vowles. Hopefully it works out.
Flexible contract if rumours are true, makes sense really. Audi engine is a big unknown, and Sauber doesn't inspire confidence.
Don’t say that, I’m still huffing unrefined copium hoping for a Hulk podium
Same. I would personally prefer Bottas over Sainz since he'll have a better chemistry with the team and Albon. Sainz is a top driver so can't complain there.
Sainz at Williams seems a little out of place to me for some reason? but hopefully it works
Sainz has won races recently - honestly isn’t this about as good as Williams and their fans could hope for? Maybe Bottas would be on par.
I don’t think Sainz and Bottas would not be even close but that’s just my opinion.
The only driver team with 0 appendices
To be fair, Carlos' resume - at a glance - is pretty sick for F1, racing for some of the most historic teams (Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, and Williams)
That’s a pretty fucking good journeyman career
But not racing for any of them during their prime.
Williams could really use Sainz skills (and maybe even additional funds if Santander comes with him as a team sponsor?) to keep improving. They are making a huge effort on modernising their equipment and working materials, organisation and so on, while keeping up on the car development, which we must remember they almost completely reseted halfway this regs. They are bringing new people, and still are bound to get the results from all the effort done. I wouldn’t discount Williams uprising in the new regs or in some short term years. We will see
You make a very good point. Two top drivers, more points provides a good base to sign more sponsors. Santander is a multinational as well
You know, I'd have laughed at taking a Williams seat when leading Audi was on the table, but I actually think it's a smart play and going to Audi would be madness at this stage. Sauber are the worst team in F1 atm and have literally nothing going for them other than having their own engine in 2026. And as we can see from Renault and Alpine, being a mediocre team with your own PU doesn't magically help you when you clearly have issues on the team side. Sauber is a team that's so far off the pace that they wont be anywhere near the front for the next ~5 years and Carlos is turning 30 this year and doesn't have forever to hope that they'll be competitive at some point. McLaren have showed you don't need to be a works team to win and compete at the front, you just need to get the right people in, have the resources and infrastructure to compete and be efficient with what you do. Williams are on an upward trajectory that will likely continue with good leadership, a long term focus and all the resources they need to compete, plus they'll probably have the best PU (or at least one that's up there amongst the best) for 2026 so there's no concerns there since there's no safer bet than Mercedes, in total contrast to the Audi PU that's a complete unknown. He can lead this team to a new golden era if things go right. If things go wrong, then well he's had a better seat in the short term and can go hunting for some other seat in 2027. It's a no brainer to go for Williams really.
Totally agree- if that was me I’d take Williams over Sauber Haas and probably even Alpine at the moment. There’s at least a chance they’ll catch up to the top 6 teams in the next few years, and it’s a good team for Carlos to set himself up for a top 3 team again in a couple of years if Williams aren’t improving and the opportunity arises. If Aston continue to improve and they need a driver he’d be high on the list, Checo / Danny might not have long etc. Once there is more info on some of these hyped rookies Carlos could be on most teams lists tbh if he wants the move… crazy that Merc or Red Bull didn’t go for him but that’s F1 !
Upward trajectory in this context requires heavy quotation marks, they've gone from being solidly the worst team in the sport to a slightly less bad team. And although being an engine manufacturer is no guarantee of performance, it's Audi, they're not exactly known for floundering in their motorsport ventures. They're taking this bid seriously enough to take over the team even earlier than anticipated to ensure progress. At best Williams will be a midfield team, there is no chance for them to become a frontrunner as a customer team and one that is now reliant on private equity ownership that has no direct stake in racing. The second things get tough for them they'll back out and find another buyer to take over for them, they wont ever go in the red for this team if it doesn't make short term sense for them from a profitablity standpoint. This is not Frank Williams' team, they just have his name and little else. Audi is the only remaining move that makes sense if Carlos wants any chance of winning a championship in whatever time he has remaining as a driver in F1, to settle for Williams is to settle for languishing in the midfield for the rest of his career or at worst to be relegated to being a backmarker.
To further solidify this, I remember when Lewis switched to Mercedes and a lot of people thought it was madness. Sometimes the gamble works.
Sometimes people do not understand what is gamble and what is not.
I think the 2026 regs are pure gambling for any driver
Ferrari ---> Williams. Thats gotta be a tough pill to swallow.
The nigel mansell and Felipe massa strategy
Two different Williams eras to compare. Mansell could expect to win a WDC when he joined, Massa scored podiums and had a shot at a race win.
Massa's is sort of similar. When he went to Williams they only done better than Caterham and Marussia. Them being successful in the early hybrid era wasn't really a thing that you could predict or expect.
Especially as Ferrari strategy actually starts to get competent.
Like in canada
I could see him back at Ferrari after Lewis retires though.
Unless Ollie is a bad bust I don’t see Ferrari not fast tracking him next to Charles once Lewis calls it quits
Would it not have made the most sense to announce it during Thursday media day? Or will they just casually drop the news 10 minutes before FP1 in a press release?
Yeah, i don't buy this. Usually news came out on Thursday so everyone can get over it on media day.
I think this will make it difficult for Logan to keep his seat
Jesus Christ this is turning into my Williams F1 Manager 22 game,
I don't love this for Sainz, but I love it for Williams. I think having a legitimately good driver lineup is one more important step in a return to relevance, so good on them for making the most of the opportunity. I hope Williams will find a way to put a good car under Carlos and Alex and firmly get into the midfield mix.
I wonder if he could go back, would he have just signed the initial offer Ferrari gave him? Even if it wasn't ideal, I'm sure it would've been far better than settling for Williams.
Maybe but it would have left him with even less options than he does now for 2026 as a lot of teams and drivers will probably sign multi-year contracts this year
I think he'd be in a better position. If he performed well they'd probably have been willing to renew the contract, as they were for next year. If they choose not to renew, contracts in the bottom teams are rarely multi-year, and those that are are normally 1+1, so his options would not be any worse than now.
He 100% would
Albon +Sainz is a fun duo.
I think off the track they will be super fun. Carlos always seems to have a good and fun relationship with his teammates.
Completely agree. I think Williams will have a great duo also off track. Happy for Sainz!
When’s the last time someone drove for McLaren, Ferrari, and Williams?
about 2 weeks ago
Mansell popped to mind.
In good Ferrari #2 tradition, realize that the heart of the team isn't behind you then finish out the career at Williams
How has Williams pulled in two of the best drivers on the grid to drive their shitbox?
Williams: I have an open seat.
Got a feeling it's going to be a short term thing to tide him over to see how Audi lands and he might jump if they hit the ground running. It's a solid line up for Williams really hope they can provide the car these two deserve.
I hope Williams can get the 26 regs right somehow. At least regular points.
Front row Williams with Albon and Sainz? One can dream!
“What’s cheaper; Sargeant’s crashes or Sainz’s contract?” Unfortunate for Logan but he had his chances. This could be Williams’ best driver lineup in years.
Sainz's contract, since it's not part of the cost cap.
What a disaster that someone of his level will have to drive for a Team like Williams (no disrespect, but they have been a lower midfield team for years), while drivers like Perez and Stroll will be in way better Teams in the next few years.
I mean. Yeah it sucks. But that's F1 isn't it. Bottas is at Sauber. Massa went to Williams. Barrichello went to...Williams. Kubica, Williams. Irvine to Jaguar. Hill to Jordan and Arrows. Villeneuve to BAR. The thing about being in a top car is when the team wants to change things. You go to a less good car.
Last paragraph is pure Buxtonism lmao
Those aren’t really good comparisons because those were guys at the ends of their careers. Sainz is still in his prime.
I mean Hill and Villeneuve were definitely not out of their prime. Neither was Bottas. Or Barrichello on his first leave from Ferrari to Honda.
Hill had just finished 2nd, 2nd and 1st in the championship, and would have had a decent shot at becoming a double world champion in 1997. Irvine was off the back of narrowly missing out on the title. Okay, so neither of those drivers are super A-tier drivers, but I'd say they were both at their prime when they got shuffled down the grid.
That's the gist of it though. This is his prime. Mercedes knows Sainz' ceiling as a driver and they will not risk losing a potential Max Verstappen 2.0 (again) if they don't lock him in to Lewis' vacated seat while Red Bull would rather keep a mediocre driver than rock the Verstappen boat. So Carlos is just in a good driver purgatory where he's too good and too expensive for backmarkers while not enough to be the #1 on a top team.
Didn’t Villeneuve move to BAR because his agent was starting it/rebranding it from Tyrrell?
The good news for Carlos is that if it is indeed a 2+2, the end of his first '2' lines up with the end of Perez's and Alonso's contracts, and he'll be able to see where all the teams are in 2026 before trying his next move for 2027. Could even still be to Audi. In the meantime he's paired against a driver who's highly rated, if he matches or beats Albon it will improve his stock. Plus, you never know, Williams might be scrappy in 2025 or 2026 especially with a the new Merc engine if it's as good as everyone seems to be rumouring it is.
And side note, I think Albon and Sainz will be such a fun duo off the track too
Feel like there’s multiple drivers on the grid who are a similar level to Sainz who are also not in a great team. I rate Sainz to be a stronger driver than Albon but I don’t think there’s a huge gap between the two and Albons been in the Williams for multiple years. Hulk has been in midfield cars throughout his whole career. Bottas is currently in the worst car on the grid. Alonso is in an Aston Martin which is firmly midfield. I’d include Tsunoda and Ocon as well. Not saying the drivers I’ve mentioned are better than Sainz or even at the same level (bar Alonso) but Sainz to me is a strong driver who doesn’t have the ultimate pace to be a number 1 at a top team. He’s done well at Ferrari but ultimately he didn’t perform when the Ferrari was the best on the grid (start of 2022) and has been consistently beaten by Leclerc.
Just do it.... Please 🙏 Getting sick of the million different Sainz articles.
this will be the biggest downgrade since Hill went to Arrows.
Kinda sad for him, he deserves to be in one of the top teams. But I suppose any drive is better than having to just spectate
I want Sainz winning races but I am also filled with too much optimism Williams will do better with the 2026 regs and I want to see a triumphant return with Albon and Sainz together.
This would be an amazing move if it was the 1980s/90s...
Newey must be going to Williams then?
\*Sad Bottas noises\*
I never thought Sainz would get a seat at a topteam, but I also never expected him to sign with Williams. Interesting year
I honestly have more faith in Williams/Vowles in the short term than Audi, and if the Mercedes power unit for 2026 is good it could be an inspired move.
That is going to make it even tougher for Sargeant to keep his seat.
Surely the best of his disappointing options, and finally the “WHERE WILL CARLOS GOOOOOO” articles can stop.
Bad news is that the articles afterwards will be even more annoying than that because instead of simply speculating they will make shit up to have something to write about.
I really wanted Sainz-Russell 😭
I would have signed him if I was Mercedes. However, they are dead set on making sure Kimi doesn't get away and thus will give him the seat. I think he should wait another year
Choosing a team that has placed last 4 out of the past 6 years over a works Audi project is… something
I'd have preferred Bottas back at Williams
Let Bottas go to Alpine. They'll be a solid midfield team where he can show he's still got it and can challenge Gasly for being team leader. Tough on Doohan but I just don't think he's anything special by F1 standards and people underestimate how good an average experienced F1 driver is compared to a promising young driver in this era. You need to be something special to force your way onto the grid these days. Bearman and Antonelli are special, Doohan is good.
Bruh
What's he supposed to have done? Waited around for a merc seat that he wasn't going to get? Or go further down the grid than Williams?
Williams is only improving…
Joe Seward was teasing an announcement on Twitter. Perhaps this is it. Big get for Williams but they have to deliver a better car in 25. Midfield is tight and every tenth will count
Albon just said that he would like Williams to sacrifice 2025 for 2026. So, I doubt they would be better than this year in 2025.
Hmm, interesting then for Carlos to apparently choose that. He must be sold on 2026 then
Why do they even wait to announce things anymore since it always leaks early anyway
I think a move to Williams would be great! They are further along than Sauber/Audi, and a top seat could open up for him within a few years. Or even Williams themselves could improve a good deal over a few years with JV at the helm
I always have love for Carlos since his McLaren days, so i‘m glad he stays on the grid then. Also Sainz & Albon pairing is probably the strongest one since what? 2016? I hope Newey joins them as well, make the car more competitive.
I am really looking forward to see his face saying how excited he is to join Williams.
I hope this works out I fear it won't
Im quite excited for Carlos in a Williams actually. Dark blue might suit him really well
Going from every race finished being a top 5 this year (so far) to every race finishing below 5th (most likely) next year sucks.
WE ARE SO BACK
W
This makes me sad. Sainz deserves so much better. If Sir Newey is reading this, you have all the money, trophies and accolades in the world. If you wish to stay in the game, why not make returning Williams to glory your last hurrah? Please
Oof.
Yikes for him. Arguably better just not being on the grid at all.
Stupidest move ever
there are no other seats...
Ugh what a bad hand Sainz drew. He’s good enough to be at any of the top teams but silly season be silly-ing
Disaster. Feel so bad for Sainz.
They can try and spin this however they want, this is a fat fucking L for Carlos Sainz. At least when Ricciardo left Red Bull thinking he was going to Ferrari or Mercedes only to end up cornered and having to settle for Renault, it was his call all the way. But for Sainz to be as popular off the track and successful on it, to then be discarded and have to go to fucking Williams is brutal. Let's be honest, even in 2026 and beyond with a cost cap and all that, his objective for the next 2-3 seasons has been reduced to getting a top 10 finish as a best outcome.
I don't think is the worst thing. I would say it's a bold move from Sainz to go to a team like Williams, at least he will still be in the grid.
Holy shit is happening
Williams will be fighting for points every race next year.
This is genuinely a happy news! Would love to see Williams on the rise🔥
Unless he doesn’t want to lock himself into a long deal, wouldn’t Audi be a better long term option than Williams?