Carlos Sainz reveals "main" Mercedes motivation behind joining Williams after Ferrari exit

Carlos Sainz has revealed one of the "main" reasons behind choosing Williams for a new phase in his F1 career after being replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. The Spaniard explained that the involvement of Mercedes as an engine supplier to Williams proved to be a game-changing factor in his team choice.

In 2026, F1 will undergo a technical regulations reset. Mercedes is expected to be the top dog in the new technical era with the most superior engine, as per long-ongoing chatter in the F1 paddock. Such a positive turnaround in the Silver Arrows' F1 fortunes means that its customer team, Williams, will also get a significant boost in performance.

Carlos Sainz touched upon this connection in a recent interview with El Partidazo de COPE on YouTube. When asked if he expects the growing chatter about Mercedes's 2026 superiority to be true, the 31-year-old replied [27:14 onwards]:

"Yes, I have a lot of confidence in the Mercedes engine, and it's also one of the main reasons why I chose Williams for this rule change, because I knew I was going to use the Mercedes engine. Everything I was hearing about the Mercedes engine is positive, and it continues to be so now."

Carlos Sainz leading George Russell at the F1 Monazo Grand Prix - Source: Getty

However, Sainz highlighted that Williams isn't the only team procuring power units from Mercedes, which makes him wary of the possibility that the James Vowles-led team might remain in a similar position in the pecking order.

"But be careful, we mustn't forget that Mercedes will have a Mercedes engine, McLaren will have a Mercedes engine, Alpine will have a Mercedes engine, and Williams will have a Mercede engine. So that's eight Mercedes-powered cars to beat, two of which are clearly superior right now, especially McLaren, right?"

He also mentioned that Aston Martin could be a tough team to beat under the new regs. The Silverstone-based team's 2026 challenger will be the first product with technical mastermind Adrian Newey's significant input.

And as for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz couldn't rule out his former team being in the mix for podiums and wins.

"Ferrari is going to be there because Ferrari is always there," the four-time Grand Prix winner said.

Williams boss James Vowles reveals Carlos Sainz's 'surprising' quality aiding the team's performance

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Source: Getty

Williams Team Principal James Vowles recently revealed a 'surprising' story about Carlos Sainz and his commitment to the team. The former Mercedes man highlighted how good the Spaniard's technical feedback about their cars is.

In an appearance on F1's Beyond the Grid podcast, while speaking about the impact he intends to have at Williams and how Sainz has become part of that vision, Vowles said:

"As to what surprised me with Carlos, (he has a) really good way of working with engineering teams. Very clear, concise feedback that directs us where we need to be. I didn't have to ask him to come into the factory. He came in at 9 a.m. one day. He was already sat with the aero team deep in conversations over 'Exactly at this point to the data, just there, that's where I feel the front wash out, and look around Turn 9, again, that's where I feel it.' Basically, we watched a team of 15 people then break down into that and go, 'I wonder if it's associated with x, y, or z," he said.

Williams had a bittersweet outing in Singapore last weekend. Both drivers were disqualified from qualifying after failing technical inspections and started the race from the back of the grid. However, Carlos Sainz impressively went from 18th to 10th place in the Singapore GP, while Alex Albon managed a P14.

Edited by Yash Kotak