ANALYSIS: Why Sainz has put his faith in Williams once again

This hasn’t been the smoothest of seasons for Carlos Sainz and Williams, but the four-time race winner still believes in the project and boss James Vowles’ vision – which is why he’s decided to stick with the team for 2027.

The Spaniard picked Williams over Sauber/Audi and Alpine for 2025, after losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton, and has since played an instrumental role in helping rebuild the iconic British squad.

He scored two unexpected podiums last season to help drive the team to a surprise P5 in the Teams’ standings and that raised hopes they could make a big step forward this year, when new chassis and power unit rules were introduced.

However, delays in production meant Williams missed the pre-season shakedown and, when they did get to track, the car was slow and overweight. As a result, they’ve been on the back foot ever since – and points have been hard to come by.

It has meant Sainz has had to reset his expectations regarding when the team will be in a position to start fighting for podiums and race wins, pushing the timeline back by a year or two as a minimum.

Like his team mate Alex Albon, Sainz was on a multi-year deal which featured a clause that would allow him to exit at the end of 2026.

Williams really wanted to keep him, having seen how much of a positive impact he has had on the team since joining.

But understandably, Sainz did his due diligence and assessed his options elsewhere on the grid. Equally, there was plenty of interest from rivals, given the high-level in which he is performing.

However, on balance, after considering it over the summer with his team, the 31-year-old believed staying with Williams for next year was his best option.

The Spaniard has a great relationship with Vowles and the management team plus individuals all across the organisation, which in turn creates the conditions for him to flourish.

He’s seen first-hand what they are capable of during one-and-a-half years, from getting the best out of a package and overperforming to rebounding when their back is against the wall.

Sainz is all in trying to make this project work – and has belief that this year was a blip rather than the start of a downward spiral.

Vowles has done an impressive job to keep his line-up (Albon on Tuesday confirmed he’s also staying for 2027) despite the team’s struggles. It’s now down to him to lead a revival next year and reward Sainz and Albon for their commitment to this cause.

For Sainz, while it’s a multi-year deal, there remains flexibility in what he does next. If Williams level up and look to be progressing sufficiently, he will know they will be keen to keep him and he will have no reason to look elsewhere.

If Williams have another tough year, he can assess his options - and he will have plenty of interest, especially as more seats are likely to be available in 2028 compared to next year.

But for now, Sainz’s focus is on ending this year strongly and then helping drive the team forward next year.