Carlos Sainz puts Williams on notice as Ferrari exile outlines five-year target

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Carlos Sainz became one of the most sought-after drivers in Formula 1 after Ferrari informed him that he would be leaving the team at the end of the year.

The Maranello squad stuck a deal with Lewis Hamilton that sees the seven-time world champion join Ferrari in 2025 on a multi-year contract, leaving Sainz out of a seat.

With Red Bull retaining Sergio Perez until 2026 and Mercedes having their eyes on Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, a move to a frontrunner was quickly off the table for the Spaniard.

Despite Sainz receiving offers from the likes of Alpine and Audi, it was Williams that landed his signature as James Vowles pulled off a huge coup from the Grove-based squad. The departing Ferrari driver links up with Alex Albon for 2025 on a two-year contract.

Williams are currently eighth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 16 points from 18 races. The team scored 10 points in Baku as Albon and exciting young talent Franco Colapinto took advantage of the FW46’s new upgrades that has given them a more competitive package.

Carlos Sainz sets target to be ‘world champion’ in the next five years

Albon does not expect Williams to win a race until 2027, which will be a slight concern for Sainz given his commitment to the team after leaving Ferrari, who have given him his three Grand Prix victories to date.

It may explain the speculation that Sainz has a release clause in his £8.5 million per year Williams contract that will allow him to leave if the Spaniard does not see any significant progress from the team.

Although Vowles has denied that Sainz has a release clause, stating that even people within Williams do not know the specifics of the contract.

While Williams could well make a huge stride forward when the 2026 regulations come into effect, Sainz does not seem to be fully confident about that. Speaking with the F1 website, he outlined his ‘world champion’ plans over the next five years, and that he would be at ‘the right place’ when he does achieve it.

“Somewhere where I can be world champion, or I’ve been already world champion, or I’m about to be.

“But in the right place, at the right time, trying to be world champion!”

Can Carlos Sainz perform at Williams?

It could well be the case that Williams will bring the success that Sainz wants in the future, but given their current trajectory, it will take a huge amount of work both on and off the track.

The team’s last podium came through George Russel at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, although that was down to the race being cancelled due to torrential race. Their last podium before that was four years earlier, as Lance Stroll secured third place at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

People have to go back to 2012 for Williams’ last victory in F1, as Pastor Maldonado claimed his first and only win at the Spanish Grand Prix. The team have fallen on hard times since and have struggled to reach Q3 regularly, let alone score points.

Vowles has assembled a strong driver pairing for 2025 onwards and if they can build on the momentum they have now following their recent upgrades, Williams could be in a much better position this time next year than where they are in 2024.