Official: Carlos Sainz seals F1 future by signing huge multi-year Williams contract

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz seals F1 future by signing huge multi-year Williams contract

Another silly season domino falls, and it is a big one

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Wednesday 19 August 2026 15:25 Updated: 15:34

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Carlos Sainz has committed his F1 future to Williams by signing a new multi-year contract with the iconic British team.

The 31-year-old Spaniard has been strongly linked with a silly season move this summer, notably to either Audi or to Red Bull (should four-time world champion Max Verstappen decide to move on).

That speculation has been the product of a disastrous start to the season for Williams, who have dropped to ninth in the constructors' standings after finishing a promising fifth in 2026.

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The car is significantly overweight (a big upgrade to resolve that is coming at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku next month) and both drivers Alex Albon and Sainz have struggled as a result.

Now though, within the space of 24 hours, both drivers have committed for 2027 (and beyond, in the Spaniard's case) with the Sainz news following hot on the heels of yesterday's Albon announcement.

Sainz and Albon have both committed to Williams.

Reports suggest Sainz is being handed a huge salary to stay with Williams - anything up to 30 million Euros per season. That would take him into the upper echelons of the F1 earning stakes. 'A champion's salary' as one Spanish insider put it.

There are also unconfirmed reports that the new deal will contain exit clauses based on the team's future performance.

F1 HEADLINES: Christian Horner's route back in as team boss continues big sell-off

Sainz says new deal shows Williams trust

Sainz though says the deal should be seen in him confirming his trust in the Williams project. He explained: “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.”

He added: "I’m thrilled to announce my continued journey with the Atlassian Williams F1 Team family! 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.”

'Sainz is the team leader' says Vowles

Team principal James Vowles, who has come under fire for the team's woes so far in 2026, said: "From the moment he joined, 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.

"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 racecraft 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 Atlassian Williams F1 Team and is pushing every day to deliver it. Along with Alex, I truly believe we have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid, and a team capable of fighting for every ounce of performance together."

2027 F1 grid after Sainz deal confirmed

The Sainz deal means 12 drivers are now 100 percent confirmed with contracts for 2027. The grid right now looks like this:

2027 F1 driver market

12 seats open

Drivers shown as Confirmed have been included in F1's official 2027 grid update. All remaining seats are currently listed as TBC.

McLaren

Lando Norris Confirmed

Oscar Piastri Confirmed

Mercedes

TBC

Red Bull

Max Verstappen Confirmed

TBC

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc Confirmed

Lewis Hamilton Confirmed

Williams

Alex AlbonConfirmed

Carlos SainzConfirmed

Racing Bulls

TBC

Aston Martin

TBC

Haas

TBC

Audi

TBC

Alpine

Pierre Gasly Confirmed

TBC

Cadillac

Sergio Perez Confirmed

Valtteri Bottas Confirmed

Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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F1 Carlos Sainz Williams