by Morgan Piontek
The Williams Formula One team started the 2025 season with excitement as they welcomed a new driver into their team: Carlos Sainz. After spending four years with Ferrari, it shocked the F1 world on February 1, 2024 with the announcement that Lewis Hamilton would join Ferrari for the 2025 season, leaving Sainz without a seat, but many options to choose from.
After a long-awaited announcement surrounding Sainz’s future, it was announced he would join Williams on a two-year contract until the end of 2026. Many were surprised as it was thought he would join the Stake/Sauber F1 team (restructured to Audi for 2026 and beyond). There were even talks about him joining Red Bull, an organization he started out with in F1 with their sister team, Toro Rosso.
Williams’ Team Principal James Vowles led the charge to recruit Sainz. Determined to bring a former race winner and seasoned driver into the team to have a stable second seat. Vowles, in his third season with the team, has brought rejuvenation and hope for Willaims’ future success.
That success has been evident on track throughout his time with the team and especially this season with the addition of Sainz paired with Alex Albon. Their points total so far this season has already exceeded their entire points tally from the 2024 season. In a season filled with highs and lows, their highest moment so far came from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The race weekend in Baku started off with the most disrupted qualifying session in F1 history. Six red flags caused the session to last almost two hours and, going into Q3, pole position was up for grabs with rain looming over the track. Big names made mistakes which allowed other drivers to capitalize. With all the red flags, only three drivers had times on the board: Sainz, Liam Lawson, and Isack Hadjar. It looked like Sainz might grab his first pole position in his new team, but Max Verstappen would eventually deny Sainz that chance, although he did start alongside Verstappen on the front row of the grid. It was his best starting position with the team and Williams’ best starting position since 2021.
He was able to convert his front row start into a podium finish in a chaotic race that saw championship leader Oscar Piastri crash on the opening lap. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli tried to hunt down Sainz in the closing laps but couldn’t catch him. The celebrations began as Sainz crossed the line and exclaimed it was the best podium in his career. Sainz’s signature song “Smooth Operator” played in Parc Ferme, adding to this milestone achievement for himself and the team. It was his first “Smooth Operation” with Williams, and I don’t think it will be the last.
