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Carlos Sainz took a bit of a gamble when he decided to move to Williams after being dropped in favour of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
The first half of 2025 was a bit of a struggle for the Spaniard, but he came into his own towards the end of the campaign. Sainz ended up outshining teammate Alex Albon.
A final result of ninth in the drivers’ championship, including two podiums, was a great reminder of why he has driven for some of the best teams over the last few years.
Williams are in good hands with a young and upcoming team principal in James Vowles, as well as a unique blend of experience and talent behind the wheel.
Finish the sentence: In 2026, Carlos Sainz will finish ____ in the championship with Williams
Jacques Villeneuve has spotted similarities between Sainz and Max Verstappen, which suggests that Red Bull made a mistake not hiring him to replace Sergio Perez last year.
Williams will finish their 2026 work ‘earlier’ in a bid to make sure they don’t have to rush before testing. They might be leaving some performance on the table, but it feels like a good approach.
READ MORE: Williams tested a brand new 2026 F1 car part during their post-season test that looked ‘so nice’
Carlos Sainz has already shown at McLaren and Ferrari that he’ll turn Williams into champions
Sainz picked Williams over Audi after weighing up his options in 2024, and picking who he felt gave him the best chance to compete in the short and long term.
His CV is quite impressive. A Red Bull junior, who joined McLaren, and helped turn them from backmarkers to midfielders (now look where they are today).
Before he went on to Ferrari, where they also went from the midfield to championship contention not long after he joined. He’s a real motivator, and something about him elevates the performance of everyone around him.
Change my mind: Carlos Sainz will win an F1 title with Williams
That’s why there’s a strong chance that Williams can become champions again in the future. Their last title might have been back in 1997, but times are changing.
Speaking to the F1 website earlier this year, Sainz’s revelation that everyone at the team was motivated to work with him just shows the regard that his colleagues hold him in.
“I think the thing that I was most impressed about, if I’m honest with you, is just how motivated everyone was, even at the end of the year when we all know you went through a tough last few races,” he said.
“A lot of hard work here at the factory, a lot of hard work at the track to get the two cars to keep going after such a bad run of crashes.
“And I found people that were really enthusiastic and very motivated to work [during] those two days, and it’s not easy because in [the] Abu Dhabi test everyone is, after a triple header, very low on energy.”
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz showed his class with his response to beating Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 podium tally
Why Carlos Sainz could be a dark horse candidate to win the 2026 F1 title
There shouldn’t be any expectation on Williams to win a Formula 1 title just yet, but there are plenty of reasons why they can be quietly excited for 2026.
They have invested heavily in their infrastructure over the last few seasons and are now getting closer to being the gold standard of facilities. That’s a big jump and will help them in a host of areas, such as development.
Mercedes have found a 2026 power unit loophole and their customer teams, including Williams, could benefit from it if the rules remain the same before the season-opener in Australia.
Sainz knows what it takes to win, having done so four times in his career. It’s not exactly a Brawn GP situation unfolding, but if they have a few tricks up their sleeves, Williams could be dark horses next year.
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