Carlos Sainz Signs Multi-Year Deal to Stay at Williams Through 2027

GROVE, England —

Carlos Sainz has signed a new multi-year contract with Williams, the Formula One team announced on Wednesday, keeping the Spanish driver with the British outfit for the 2027 season and beyond, according to BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports.

The deal comes a day after Sainz's teammate, Alex Albon, agreed to his own one-year extension through 2027, according to Channel NewsAsia. Both drivers' previous contracts had been set to expire at the end of 2026.

Sainz, 31, joined Williams in 2025 after Ferrari let him go to make room for Lewis Hamilton, according to Sky Sports. He had also drawn interest from the Audi team, which debuted this year after buying the Swiss outfit Sauber, according to BBC Sport. Sainz is a four-time Grand Prix winner and one of only three drivers, along with Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, to have raced for Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, according to Channel NewsAsia.

A Rough Season Hasn't Shaken His Commitment

Sainz delivered two podium finishes for Williams last season, in Azerbaijan and Qatar, helping the team finish fifth in the constructors' championship, its best result since 2016, according to Sky Sports. That progress raised hopes for 2026, when Formula One introduced new car and engine rules, but Williams' new chassis arrived late and overweight, according to BBC Sport.

The team now sits ninth out of 11 in the 2026 constructors' standings, according to BBC Sport and Channel NewsAsia. Sainz is 15th in the drivers' championship with six points, and Albon is 16th with five, according to Channel NewsAsia. Williams last won a constructors' title in 1997, its ninth, according to BBC Sport.

"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," Sainz said in a statement carried by BBC Sport. "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."

Vowles Calls Sainz a 'Leader' of the Rebuild

Williams team principal James Vowles, who had targeted this season for a major step forward, said the stress of building an all-new car under the revised 2026 rules had tested the factory "beyond its limits," according to BBC Sport. He said later changes had put the team in a better position going forward.

"He is a leader of this team, and I'm thrilled that he can see what's possible as we continue to rebuild it," Vowles said of Sainz, according to BBC Sport. "Carlos shares the belief and ambition we have at Williams and is pushing every day to deliver it."

Formula One resumes after its summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort this weekend, according to Channel NewsAsia, followed by the Italian Grand Prix at Monza two weeks later.