Carlos Sainz is set to join Williams F1 in 2025, with multiple insiders confirming the conditional agreement.
Carlos Sainz Reportedly Decides on 2025 Team, Choosing Williams F1
Carlos Sainz is said to have finally decided on his team for the 2025 season, with multiple sources in the Spa paddock this morning confirming his move to Williams F1.
Carlos Sainz senior, the Ferrari driver’s father and co-manager, was spotted leaving the Williams motorhome at Spa-Francorchamps.
Sainz has been a significant ‘cork in the bottle’ in the driver market for some time, as he weighed up potential seats at either Red Bull or Mercedes while receiving offers from Sauber-Audi, Alpine, and Williams.
Sainz’s manager and cousin, Carlos Onoro Sainz, was also present at the meeting with rallying legend and Williams chief, James Vowles.
The three-time Grand Prix winner stated on Friday that he would prefer to join a “midfield team” for his future rather than taking a sabbatical, though he did not confirm whether he intended to sign his contract before the summer break.
This timeline may have shifted, with paddock rumours this morning suggesting Sainz has inked a one-year deal with extension options.
Williams boss James Vowles is even rumoured to have offered the Spaniard a handsome sum of 10 million euros per year, along with a special clause allowing Sainz to immediately exit the contract should a top team opportunity arise at any point.
There are also whispers that Vowles and his former boss at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, have agreed that if Sainz secures a significant opportunity, Williams would receive the impressive 17-year-old rookie, Kimi Antonelli, on loan. This is why Toto Wolff today stated that Antonelli would arrive in F1 in 2025.
An official announcement regarding Sainz’s decision is expected soon.
This would be a blow for Valtteri Bottas, who had hoped to secure the seat alongside Alex Albon. However, with his current team Sauber-Audi ousting Andreas Seidl, Bottas now has the opportunity to initiate discussions with his new boss, Mattia Binotto.
“This will certainly restart some discussions, as we had already been in communication with Andreas and Oliver (Hoffmann), and now it’s Mattia, who officially starts next week, I believe.”
“It’s definitely going to change some things, so we need to talk about that.”
Mick Schumacher is also hoping to land the Audi seat, forming an attractive all-German driver lineup with Nico Hulkenberg for the brand’s new factory project.
“For me, it’s very important to return to Formula 1,” Schumacher said at Spa. “And now, all F1 teams are competitive – maybe not enough to win, but one can always position oneself very well, no matter which team one is currently with.”
When asked specifically about Audi, the 25-year-old described it as a “very exciting project” and a “very good choice”.
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Sainz Chooses Williams F1 for 2025, Sources Say Sainz Chooses Williams F1 for 2025, Sources Say
