Williams once signed three-time F1 race winner for just 24 hours thanks to Flavio Briatore

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The Formula 1 driver’s market is notorious for crazy stories and bizarre situations playing out.

The 2024 Formula 1 season saw Lewis Hamilton shock the world by announcing that he would be driving for Ferrari this year, leaving Carlos Sainz out in the cold.

Williams were the beneficiaries of that move, with team principal James Vowles spending months chasing Sainz before eventually getting him to sign on the dotted line.

Alongside Alex Albon, Williams have potentially the strongest driver line-up in the midfield, however, they’re still a long way off where they would expect to be based on their history.

They haven’t won a race since Pastor Maldonado won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix and while that’s unlikely to change in 2025, it highlights how long it’s been since they were challenging for championships.

The likes of Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost all won championships with Williams, but even in the last 20 years, they’ve been regular race winners before their unfortunate downturn.

Jonathan Williams – son of Sir Frank Williams – was speaking on the Autosport Podcast about one particularly bizarre event that took place in the driver’s market during the early 2000s.

The team knew that Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya were moving on at the end of 2004 and needed a new pair of drivers.

Unsurprisingly, Flavio Briatore – then at Renault – somehow got involved.

Why Williams once signed three-time F1 race winner Giancarlo Fisichella for 24 hours

Talking about the team’s driver line-up heading into 2005, Williams said: “One guy that I championed from quite early on when I took a real interest in karting in the mid-90s, one of the best people that I ever saw in a go-kart was Giancarlo Fisichella.

“So I’d sort of been a big Fisichella fan for a long time. I think quite early on [Mark] Webber was locked in. It was a case of who was going to partner Webber.

“So it’s not going to be Jenson [Button]. It’s not going to be Ralf [Schumacher]. It’s not going to be Juan Pablo [Montoya], who’s next?

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

“Fisichella came very briefly into the equation.

“I was working quite closely on that because I was quite well connected with the Fisichella camp, met him in London with my colleague, Christian Vine, who was Williams marketing at the time.

“I think the scenario was that then Flavio Briatore got involved and essentially because he managed Mark. He said to my father, right, Webber and Fisichella, I’m having one and you’re having one. You can’t have both.”

How Flavio Briatore played his role in Williams’ 2005 driver line-up

It was explained to Williams by Briatore that as he managed Webber and the Australian wanted to join the team, that move would happen.

However, Fisichella had already signed for Sauber and needed a break clause to be activated to get him out of the team, but only Ferrari, McLaren or Williams were capable of doing this.

Williams then continued: “So Frank [Briatore said], I need you to sign him for 24 hours, then sell him to me.

READ MORE: Giancarlo Fisichella admits replacing 11-time race winner was his ‘best moment’ in Formula 1

“So I think that essentially was how that [happened]. I guess I can say that now 20 years later, I did see that contract.

“I did get that page given to me by the Fisichella camp.”

Williams was asked if that meant Fisichella was a Williams driver for a day and he agreed, simply saying: “I believe so.”

Fisichella eventually joined Renault and under the stewardship of Briatore, supported Fernando Alonso on his way to winning his first Drivers’ Championship with the team topping the Constructors’ Championship.

Williams instead signed Nick Heidfeld and they only managed to finish fifth in the standings, although both drivers secured podium finishes.

The Italian ended up joining the right team in the end, but Williams’ story explains just how unpredictable the driver’s market can be.