Carlos Sainz tips 16x F1 champions to bounce back from decades-long barren run and be champions again

Carlos Sainz has backed 16x F1 champions Williams to get back to being the benchmark in the sport in the next technical regulation set. The Spaniard received a shocker of news last season when he found out that Ferrari was replacing him with Lewis Hamilton.

The announcement meant that Carlos Sainz was flat-footed when the decision was announced, and he had to essentially find a new home. After being in contention for seats at Red Bull and Mercedes as well and for some reason losing out, the Spaniard zeroed in on Williams, as James Vowles' approach and vision were what impressed him the most.

The 2025 F1 season has not necessarily been the best on that front, as the driver has found it hard this season to get a strong result. Even compared to teammate Alex Albon, the points tally has not been great, as he has taken some time to adapt to the new environment.

Carlos Sainz is, however, now more or less adapted to what he has under him, and even though his results have not been great, he feels that the car and the team have matched his expectations.

Talking to Motorsport, Sainz revealed that when he signed for the team, he expected to be in the midfield fight for 2025 and then take a step or two in 2026 while continuing to make progress year on year. Backing the 16x F1 champion that has not won a title since 1997 to get back to title glory, the Spaniard said,

"My hopes were that the Williams would be a solid midfield car in '25, allowing me to fight for points and not be at the back of the grid. Just somewhere around the top 10 that would allow me to have fun fighting for points, which might seem silly, but it's still better and there's a lot more to it than fighting for 16th and 17th, where 24 races like that can become frustrating for a driver."

He added,

"And then the other hopes were set for the future, '26, '27, '28. How far can Williams go? My feeling and my hope is that we can be championship contenders in the final part of the years I just mentioned. We know this in part and it has been more than achieved: we are a very solid team in midfield."

Carlos Sainz has no regrets about his move to Williams

When Carlos Sainz made a move to Williams, there were other options on the table as well. Sauber/Audi was one of them, and so was Alpine. While the French squad has regressed, the Swiss squad has turned heads already, with Nico Hulkenberg breaking his F1 podium duck at Silverstone. When questioned if there was any level of regret with the call that he'd made, Sainz replied in the negative as he said,

"I certainly don't regret this move. And I'm quite encouraged by what I've seen. 2025 has exceeded my expectations in terms of the car's performance and what the team is capable of. So, I'm very comfortable with the decision. I'm just frustrated that the results haven't been better, because the feelings say otherwise, but the results, for one reason or another, aren't coming."

The second half of the season is going to be crucial for Carlos Sainz as well, as the driver now slowly starts gaining momentum within the team and would want to be more competitive with Alex Albon as well.