Sainz could emulate Hamilton’s Mercedes impact at Williams:

— Carlos Sainz has been tipped to spark a Williams revival similar to Lewis Hamilton’s transformative impact at Mercedes, according to pundit Marc Priestley.

— After leaving Ferrari at the end of 2024, Sainz joined Williams for the 2025 season, bringing with him major sponsor Santander.

“The Santander package that Carlos Sainz has brought to Williams will definitely help them, but we’re in a cost-capped era of F1 now,” Priestley said.

“You can bring in as much money as you want, but you can only spend as much as everyone else. Williams will become even more of a profitable entity. It will help them fill the budget and hit the cost cap.”

— Priestley compared Sainz’s move to Hamilton’s switch to Mercedes in 2013, which was motivated by plans for regulation changes that ultimately led to Mercedes’ dominance.

“2026 is a massive opportunity for Williams. Lewis Hamilton was attracted to Mercedes because of the plan they showed him ahead of past regulation changes. We could be seeing the same happen with Sainz at Williams.”

— Formula 1 will introduce new regulations in 2026, creating a reset for teams like Williams. Sainz expressed confidence in Williams’ potential to return to the front of the grid:

“I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey,” Sainz said.

“The ultimate goal of bringing Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and positivity. I am convinced that this team has all the right ingredients to make history again and I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team.”

#carlossainz #williamsf1
#lewishamilton #scuderiaferrari

VIA: [PLANET F1: