Carlos Sainz has revealed that his decision to move to Williams in 2025 emanated from having the same “feeling” about its Formula 1 prospects as McLaren’s revival.
Williams announced last month that it has won the race to secure Sainz’s coveted services to partner the incumbent Alex Albon on a multi-term contract with options.
Sainz had been in demand since it was disclosed in pre-season that he would lose his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton, with Alpine and Sauber/Audi also in the running.
The Spaniard has expressed that the constant speculation regarding his future had been a hindrance to his endeavours to deliver on track in his last term with Ferrari.
But while he was embroiled in an elongated saga as he weighed up his various options, Sainz has admitted the Williams proposal was the one that remained enticing.
“First of all, I think it was important for me to take the decision before the summer break,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s been a very tough let’s say seven months of my career where I had to deal with everything that happened in January in combination with having to deliver as a Ferrari driver in a high-pressure environment in combination with having to decide my future, at the same time as you talk to so many other teams, and analysing and putting everything on the table at the same time as you’re competing. I put myself the target to take the decision before the break and when I took the decision I wanted to be 100% convinced.
“It’s why I gave myself plenty of time as you guys can see. I took the decision because Williams is the team that from the beginning I had very good feeling and very good conversations with.
“They’re a team very committed to F1 with a very strong project, very strong leadership, and the will to bring back a historic Formula 1 team with the pedigree Williams has back to the front is something that motivates me, it motivated me when I went to McLaren, and when I went to Ferrari when it was down the grid after a tough 2020.
“And it motivates me now to do a project like Williams, yeah, I cannot wait, and I think it’s going to be an interesting few years in my career.”
Williams has outlined plans to return to the sharp end under James Vowles, comprising an aggressive hiring spree and plans to replicate McLaren’s ascent to the top.
Sainz, who was with McLaren prior to his move to Ferrari in 2021, has asserted that he was certain the Woking-based squad was on the right path upon his departure.
Following relentless discussions with Vowles, Sainz has claimed that he retains shared similarities between his correct suspicions on McLaren and Williams’ venture.
“I took the decision around the Spa weekend, so it was late,” he expanded.
“But I’ve always had the feeling during all those negotiations, I always kept Williams in the back of my head as I always had that good feeling with James and the investment group Dorilton.
“And for me it was important people also, I’ve learned over the years in Formula 1 to trust in my feeling about people.
“I remember when I left McLaren in 2020 I felt like the team was moving forward and was going to be successful in the future, having spent time working with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.
“I left McLaren I said they might not be winning next year or the following year, but this team, with these people, are going to be winning soon.
“Four years late they’re performing at an incredibly high level, I had this feeling at that time.
“Now I have this feeling about the people and the culture in Williams, I need to trust that feeling, and this is what I committed to.”
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