Being at Ferrari means being at the top of the F1 mountain. Maybe not in terms of success always, but definitely in terms of visibility. Carlos Sainz had gotten used to that attention over the last four years, but will now have to deal with the fact that the spotlight won’t be on him much anymore.
Sainz joined Williams this season and although an iconic institution, the Grove-based outfit has found themselves at the back end of the grid in recent times. In 2025 too, that’s where they are expected to be which is why Kym Illman—a veteran photojournalist—feels they won’t get much media attention.
“Williams is down at the far end of the paddock,” he said on his YouTube channel. “Most of the media, photographers, TV networks, etc. hang around the top four.”
He’s here, and he’s perfect ️ https://t.co/MYoIUJyC8u
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) January 15, 2025
Illman acknowledged that Sainz’s star pull will warrant a little bit of attention, but not as much as it did when he was driving for the most successful F1 team of all time. Sainz will partner up with Alex Albon at Williams, who did not have to sweat too much in getting the better of his previous teammates Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant, and even Franco Colapinto to some extent.
But Sainz being a four-time race winner and one of the top guys in F1 will surely give Albon a better fight. So, it will be crucial to see how Albon deals with that in the initial races, which could benefit Williams in the form of greater media coverage. But without much to fight for, the focus would soon shift away from Williams, a team Sainz chose after hard and careful consideration.
Sainz’s difficulties in picking a team
Sainz had made himself familiar with the podium places during his Ferrari stint. He finished in the top three 24 times and would have ideally loved to add more in the coming years.
Sadly for him, Ferrari couldn’t say no to Lewis Hamilton who made himself available for this season and beyond. Sainz, as a result, had to embark on a search for new suitors, ones which would help him chase more success.
None of the top teams had any spots available, however. There were rumors of Red Bull eyeing him but nothing concrete.
In the end, the Madrid-born driver was left with Alpine, Audi (Sauber), and Williams as his options, and with all three languishing at the wrong end, it was about picking the best of the worst. Sainz chose Williams.
He stated that he believed in James Vowles’ mission to take Williams back to its glory days, which is why he signed a multi-year deal. As has always been the case in his career, Sainz will be fully committed to the project of elevating them. But he would surely be gutted about not being a part of the podium conversations any time soon.
