Sainz: Vision and People Made Me Choose Williams

Carlos Sainz reveals why he prioritized Williams’ long-term vision and team dynamic over pure speed when deciding his 2025 destination.

Carlos Sainz has chosen Williams F1 for 2025, making it his new team for at least two years. However, the former Ferrari driver reveals that initially, he was focused solely on performance before realizing the importance of the team’s mindset.

“At the beginning, when I had to make such an important decision, I was very focused on the team that would be the fastest in 2025, the one generating the most downforce, the one discovering things that would make it quicker,” he said during an event with the team in front of employees.

“Eventually, I realized my decision had to be based on two things: the project and the people. And when I started discussing the details with James, I saw that he had built a very strong project at Williams.”

“He was forming a team with a vision, with a project alongside Dorilton that I believe will bring this team back to the forefront with strong leadership and a vision that, from the beginning, made me fall in love with the project and trust his leadership.”

The Spaniard recognized the same core qualities at Williams that he had seen at McLaren, and he followed his instincts in choosing his next destination: “When I left McLaren, I genuinely believed there were very good people there and that the team could be world champions in the future.”

“McLaren ended up being world champions last year, and it reminded me to trust my instincts. I know Williams has a good project, solid backing, and good people. In the end, that combination of two things is what allowed me to truly believe in Williams.”

Sainz was impressed by the motivation of everyone at Williams, even at the end of a tough season: “What impressed me the most, to be honest, was the motivation of everyone, even at the end of a year where we all know the last races were difficult.”

“There was a lot of work done here at the factory, a lot of work at the track to keep both cars running after such a bad series of crashes. I found very enthusiastic and highly motivated people working during those two days.”

“And it’s not easy because the Abu Dhabi test takes place after a triple-header, and everyone’s energy is very low. I’ve done this test with other teams, and I know how tired everyone is by the end of the season at this stage. But I saw smiling faces everywhere.”

“I saw people who wanted to participate, who wanted to collaborate, who wanted to make this test as positive as possible. Honestly, I was very impressed and really enjoyed those two days. It was the best way to approach the winter, knowing I have full support and that everyone is fully committed for the rest of the winter.”