If I can’t join a top team, I’ll help build one

Carlos Sainz feels “the people in F1 know perfectly well why certain choices are made” on why he was overlooked by top teams last year and is looking to “build one” and guide Williams to the front of the grid.

In a wide-ranging interview with sister title Motorsport.com Italy, Sainz has opened up on his move to Williams and how he has adapted to the Grove-based squad since arriving over the winter from Ferrari.

Sainz became the key player in the F1 driver market last year when he was replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari from 2025, but wasn’t picked up by Red Bull or Mercedes, who both opted to sign less experienced drivers in Liam Lawson (switched with Yuki Tsunoda now) and Andrea Kimi Antonelli respectively.

The four-time grand prix winner says he knows why top teams didn’t pick him up last year without elaborating, but instead wants to use it as motivation to push Williams back to the sharp end of the grid.

“I’ve come to my own conclusions. But I’ll keep them to myself,” Sainz said in the exclusive interview. “I believe the people in F1 know perfectly well why certain choices are made – I don’t need to explain it in front of a microphone. So I told myself: if I can’t join a top team, I’ll help build one.

“At Williams, I saw the potential to start a great story. I spoke at length with James [Vowles] about the project he had in mind, and I decided to bet on Williams because it seemed like the best opportunity to build a top team.

“Six months into this journey, I can say I’m even more convinced than when I signed. We’re all working 100% to achieve this goal.”

He added: “On a personal level, a lot better. I’m now in a team with a long-term project that really motivates me. I feel part of a family – and that’s not to say I didn’t feel good at Ferrari, I want to make that clear – but last year a different situation developed, as I raced the entire season knowing I would be leaving.

“It was a strange year, but all things considered, I think we did a good job as a team.”

Sainz somewhat stalled the F1 driver market last year as he weighed up his options, with Audi also aiming to secure his signature, before he eventually agreed a multi-year deal with Williams.

“I took my time until the summer to check if there was an opportunity with a top team and to assess what the best alternative would be,” he explained. “I didn’t want to make the wrong choice – I evaluated everything very carefully.”

Read the full Sainz interview here.