All Eyes on Sainz: A Comeback in Williams

While the Hamilton move to Ferrari has taken the F1 world by storm, there's hardly any unsympathetic soul in the paddock (or in fans across the world) to Sainz's situation. In an ultimate show of sportsmanship, Sainz has been handling it with the utmost grace and character since the beginning of the 2024 season.

This year's paddock drama begins with this very curated driver lineup for the FIA Drivers' Press Conference Group 2 as Carlos Sainz Jr., Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli line up for their first Q&A of the season. While all three drivers seemed comfortable in their new colours and spoke about having high hopes for this season with their new teams, there's no denying that Carlos Sainz's goals this season in a Williams car is vastly different from that of Lewis and Kimi in their Ferrari and Mercedes, respectfully.

Read more: Carlos Sainz's Debut in Blue

Netflix's Drive to Survive Season 7 that hit the screens earlier this week, highlighted how Sainz came to his decision of signing with Williams last season. 

James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing

Despite him being the most coveted driver in the 2024 season with 2 wins under his belt, the Australian GP and the Mexican GP, there were scarcely any offers for him and none at all from the top teams. While most had speculated that considering Sainz's form, he could easily be a good fit for Mercedes and this whole situation can be a simple driver swap, Carlos is seen on DTS confirming that there were no calls from Toto when Lewis asks him about it. 

With an offer from Williams that had clarity of vision and the persistence of James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing, the rumour mill had gone back and forth about the date of the announcement. DTS sheds light to the reason why. 

With Alpine's wildcard entry in the form of Flavio Briatore, Sainz led Williams along while he considered both offers, as is his right. It seems Williams Racing's performance and stability, along with the advantage of being part of a legacy such as the Williams team, finally won him over. But taking that time to decide on the team seems to have helped Sainz settle in faster into his new team and car and that Williams blue and white alongside his teammate Alex Albon. 

Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr., F1 drivers, Williams Racing

Sainz has harped on about not expecting to be on the podium this year in an effort to manage expectations of the fans. He and Alex Albon have been on the same page about what progress means for the team even after extraordinary Pre-Season Testing sessions. Alpine, with a better car, is being predicted to be their close contest and Albon agrees. Sainz has highlighted in the FIA Drivers' Press Conference Group 2 that progress may well be measured beyond the stats as he would consider perfecting the small details a win as well. 

He has been seen shooting an advertisement for L'Oréal with Simone Ashley and is the face of Hackett London's 2025 Spring Summer collection along with his father, the esteemed Carlos Sainz Sr. His activities are both a result of more PR and media freedom as well as a necessary part of a rebrand to position himself as an attractive option beyond this season and 2026 when his contract expires with Williams.

Carlos Sainz Jr. in Williams Racing gear

It is clear that Carlos is looking towards the 2026 season as the new regulations kick in next year and is focused on doing the best that can be done to move the team up a few rungs during his stint. Their positive attitudes towards the season is about to be tested in less than 12 hours as Free Practice would reveal some much-needed insight on how packed the mid-field actually is this season and what Williams Racing can actually hope for. 

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