Carlos Sainz is taking a big leap of faith buying into the Williams dream

And so, F1’s hottest prospect is finally off the market. It is rare that silly season is so focused on one individual but Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari meant for the first in a long time, a top level driver was there to be signed.

When Hamilton made his move, more than half of the grid were out of contract, meaning that Sainz, who started the year with a P3 in Bahrain and a win in Australia, had plenty of options to mull over to ensure he stayed in the sport in 2025.

Of those, Red Bull appeared to be the plum seat. They had just won a second consecutive Constructors’ crown, were a clear step ahead of their opponents and there was every reason to suggest that dominance would continue for the foreseeable.

And then there was a straight swap with Mercedes who were undoubtedly one of the biggest teams with a seat on offer but also one that had questions to be answered in terms of their future title credentials.

Finally, a move many thought would make sense was a switch to Sauber ahead of Audi’s arrival in 2026, a team Sainz’s father has a close relationship with.

Each move would have been tempting but as the months and weeks have gone on, the doors had begun to close for Sainz.

Red Bull opted to give Sergio Perez a new deal, and even if they get rid of him, partnering Sainz with Verstappen again was never likely to happen. Mercedes, meanwhile, look likely to give young prodigy Kimi Antonelli a shot next season.

In terms of Audi, it was very clear they made the offer but unlike Red Bull and Mercedes, it was Sainz who turned them down. Reports of a deadline missed in terms of agreeing to the deal were followed by suggestions Audi were happy to wait but even that was not enough to get their man.

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At the start of the season, James Vowles may have thought attracting Sainz to Williams was off the table, but when it became clear that a top seat was not on offer, the former Mercedes man put the Spaniard at the top of his wishlist.

In his year and a half of being a team principal, Vowles has built a reputation of being straight talking and that has been particularly true when it came to Sainz.

Vowles’ answer of “the number one target is Carlos” was a long way from the usual smoke and mirrors we get from those making the decisions.

Vowles speaking like that always suggested a confidence that Sainz was open to the idea and publicly courting him was the final stage in getting him to make the deal official. But, with the huge name of Audi also after him, why has Sainz chosen Williams? Vowles thinks he has the answer to that too.

“There’s a reason why I left Mercedes to come here,” he told the media as far back as Canada. “This isn’t the Williams of old and I think first and foremost the fact that we are having Sainz on our list will certainly show you that this isn’t how we’ve performed of late.

“We are prepared to have a driver line-up that I think is going to be one of the best on the grid, if it’s achieved, and that’s a different era that we’re going into. We’re investing tens if not hundreds of millions to [take] this team back to where it was in terms of success.”

Vowles is no doubt a skilled negotiator. His ability to sell this dream was proven in the extension of Alex Albon and now the 44-year-old has gone one better.

For Sainz, he looked at the two promising projects on offer to him and came to the conclusion that Williams was his best and quickest chance at fighting for podiums and wins. 2025 will be the time for Williams and Vowles to show Sainz he was right in his decision.

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