Carlos Sainz signs multi-year extension with Williams
Carlos Sainz has signed a multi-year contract to remain with the Williams Formula One team into 2027 and beyond, the team announced on 19 August 2026. His previous contract was due to expire at the end of this season.
The 31-year-old Spaniard joined Williams in 2025 after leaving Ferrari, having moved in the hope the team would once again be challengers in Formula One. He chose Williams over an opportunity to become the focus of the Audi team, which made its debut this year after buying the Swiss Sauber outfit. Williams last won the ninth of their constructors' championships in 1997.
Sainz claimed two podiums in 2025 and the season produced results that he described as unexpectedly strong, but he has been less than impressed by the team's regression since. The contract decision comes amid a slump in form for the squad.
Team principal James Vowles had targeted this season as the moment Williams would make a significant step; the team finished fifth in the constructors' championship this season, a progression described as ahead of schedule. The new car was late and overweight at the start of the season, and the squad are currently ninth of the 11 teams at the halfway point of the 2026 campaign.
Vowles said the stress of producing an all-new car to the revised 2026 rules had tested the factory beyond its limits, and he added he believed subsequent changes had put the team in a better place for the future and that he was delighted with Sainz's extension. "Carlos' talent behind the steering wheel and dedication back at the factory have been extremely valuable for this project - working day in, day out with his engineers to find every millisecond," added Vowles. "He is a leader of this team, and I'm thrilled that he can see what's possible as we continue to rebuild it. "It's not just his race craft and speed that stand out but the work he does behind the scenes in the pursuit of high performance. Carlos shares the belief and ambition we have at Williams and is pushing every day to deliver it."
Sainz commented on his decision in a team statement: "I truly believe in the people that form this team, both at the factory and at the racetracks, and the investments and hard work that are happening in the background. "We have what it takes to turn this around together. I'm as committed as I was on day one to helping get Williams back to where it belongs, and I look forward to creating more memories with the team."
The announcement follows team-mate Alex Albon's new one-year deal for 2027. Listen to Back at Base on BBC Sounds