Competing for wins and podiums became a weekly job for Carlos Sainz since he joined Ferrari in 2021. It made him one of the top drivers of the sport, something which could change when he joins back-of-the-grid team Williams in 2025.
Being on the cusp of slipping into irrelevancy, Guenther Steiner knows what the Madrid-born driver has to do when he joins the Grove-based outfit.
On The Red Flags podcast, Steiner insisted that Sainz cannot afford to struggle at Williams. The British team is expected to be in the lower-midfield region, and Sainz’s primary incentives will be to defeat his teammate Alex Albon and finish as high as possible to help Williams maximize their performance in the Constructors’ Championship.
“He needs to put in the effort and properly beat his teammate. That’s the first thing he needs to do,” the former Haas boss said. He added that it is of paramount importance for Sainz to achieve this so that people don’t forget he can compete at the front of the grid, as he showed during his time at Ferrari.
“If he starts to struggle with his teammate, I think to get back into one of the top three teams will be very difficult.”
Sainz has a multi-year deal with Williams and he has voiced his long-term commitment to the team’s ambitious project. They want to get back to the front of the field and fight for wins and championships. However, that could take several years.
BREAKING: CARLOS SAINZ IS JOINING WILLIAMS FOR THE 2025 SEASON ONWARDS! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Hlw9gLd9pz
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 29, 2024
Sainz may not want to wait that long. That is why, he could use performances at Williams to negotiate for a seat at a top team within the next three years.
Currently, the Spaniard is enjoying his final few races at Ferrari, knowing that these could be his last opportunities to win races and secure podiums. Sainz acknowledged this while considering his future, with multiple offers on the table.
How Sainz landed up at Williams
After Ferrari decided to drop him for 2025, Sainz was in a difficult situation as a free agent. While there were possibilities of going to teams like Red Bull and Mercedes, those doors soon closed for him. This left the #55 driver with offers only from lower midfield and backmarker teams like Alpine, Sauber/Audi, and Williams.
Sainz took a long time to contemplate his options, as it was a choice of going to the least worst team, in all honesty. All had no short-term potential, so Sainz had to vet their vision for the 2026 regulations and other aspects such as the stability in the team’s structure and leadership.
Williams emerged as the winner, with team principal James Vowles’ honesty about their status quo and plans for the team impressing Sainz. The Spaniard felt that despite Williams being a backmarker outfit, he wouldn’t become irrelevant as the team has genuinely been pushing to recover to a better place in the pecking order.
During his many months of pursuing Carlos Sainz that ultimately led to the 29-year-old signing for Williams, James Vowles revealed on Tuesday how he spent time in the Spaniard’s hotel rooms at times to get the deal done. #F1 pic.twitter.com/0aCGcMQXEF
— Pit Debrief (@PitDebrief) July 31, 2024
There have been signs of progress at the Grove outfit, both on and off the track. While the car’s performance has seen an uptick this season, the team’s infrastructure and leadership under Vowles also show promising signs for the future. The only issue has been that their 2024 season has been marred by crashes and manufacturing struggles.
So, before Sainz comes in 2025, Vowles would want to get his processes and team culture sorted. Even the Spaniard’s arrival as a four-time Grand Prix winner could prove fruitful for the team’s growth in F1.
