After winning three Grands Prix and scoring several podiums, Carlos Sainz will end his four-year memorable stint at Ferrari in 2024. While he is moving to another storied team like Williams, they are not in the best competitive shape to provide him Ferrari-like glory instantly. Moreover, history also suggests that Sainz may not win races after exiting the Italian team.
The Race posted a video on YouTube, highlighting this possibility while revisiting all the ex-Ferrari drivers’ trajectories since the Michael Schumacher era in the early 2000s. The video pointed out how only drivers like Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen could win races after their Ferrari stints.
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Barrichello won races in the miraculous 2009 season for Brawn GP. But his predecessor Eddie Irvine had a miserable fall from grace after moving to Jaguar. Even for Barrichello, his stint at Williams proved to be his final one in F1 without much success.
Fernando Alonso is the perfect case in point to highlight this statistic. The two-time world champion has failed to win a single race ever since he left Ferrari after the 2014 season. Alonso’s last F1 win still remains the 2013 Spanish GP victory that came with the legendary Italian outfit.
The Race’s video also mentioned other examples like Sebastian Vettel, who did not win anything at Aston Martin in his two years there. Furthermore, Felipe Massa also did not enjoy any major success at Williams from 2014 to 2017. As for Sainz, he is moving to a Williams team that is in a worse situation than a decade ago when Massa raced for them.
So, all in all, the Spaniard will be facing a tough time as the Grove outfit looks to rebuild itself with the 2026 regulations in focus. Still, it doesn’t guarantee that Sainz will be able to fight for wins with Williams.
Why is Sainz joining Williams?
Sainz took immense time to finalize his decision to join Williams in 2025. It was a natural thing for him to do, given moving to the Grove outfit is a clear step back for him currently. While the team is ambitious about overturning its current state, Sainz knows it is a long-term project.
Still, the 30-year-old believes in the team’s honest ambitions and is willing to lead their revival. The 2026 regulations will be a big chance for Williams to make a big step forward toward this revival to the front of the field. If they can do so, Sainz’s move will start to feel better.
He still has to survive through the 2025 season where Williams may not be closer to the midfield as they wish to be. Currently, the nine-time constructors’ champions are only P8 in the standings with only 16 points to their name.
This state may not massively improve next season. So, Sainz has to wait for the big regulation changes to win or get a potential podium for Williams.
