Carlos Sainz Opens Up On The Championship Shift From Ferrari To Williams

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has reflected on the stark contrast he will experience this season, transitioning from competing for top-seven finishes with Ferrari to battling in the midfield with Williams. Sainz moved from the Maranello outfit to Williams this season as Lewis Hamilton secured his Ferrari seat.

Following a competitive stint with Ferrari in the last four years, Sainz has been used to fighting for the top positions. However, the seven-time world champion's signing with Ferrari meant Sainz had to look elsewhere for a full-time seat. While top teams like Red Bull and Mercedes had other driver options in mind, the Spaniard was left with options such as Alpine, Williams, and Sauber.

Eventually, though, Williams chief James Vowles' plans to make his team a winning outfit in the new era of regulations, which begins next year, won over Sainz. Vowles' transparent approach and strategy made sense to the former Ferrari driver, who then signed a multi-year contract with the Grove-based team. However, Williams secured ninth place in the 2024 Constructors' Championship with 17 points, while Sainz alone secured 290 points for Ferrari and helped the team secure second place. Ferrari missed out on a championship win to McLaren by just 14 points.

With no considerable improvement on the radar for Williams' challenger this season, Sainz is unsure how he would react to fighting for positions that are beyond the points. He said:

“My honest point on that is I don’t know how I’m going to react to fighting for P7 to P15, I don’t know.

“I don’t know how much I’m going to miss it. I don’t know how much fun I’m going to find it. Maybe you need to ask me more into the year how I’m finding it.”

However, Sainz, who previously raced for McLaren, now joins the ranks of F1 legends like Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, both of whom have competed for the sport’s three iconic teams: McLaren, Ferrari, and Williams. Revealing his thoughts, Sainz said:

“I think if you would have asked me when I was 10 years old and I started to fall in love with Formula 1, which teams you would have loved to drive one day, I would have definitely picked those three.

“I’m in my 10th year in Formula 1 and I’m joining Williams in a very important moment where it’s going through some key changes in its history.

“And nothing would make me happier or more proud, it would definitely be the proudest moment of my career if one day I can be on a podium with this team.”