Carlos Sainz says he trusted his gut feeling telling him to sign for Williams for the 2025 season after signing a multi-year contract with them.

The Spaniard's deal ended months of speculation around his future after it was confirmed Lewis Hamilton would replace him at Ferrari.

Williams have found themselves as consistent backmarkers in recent years, but under team principal James Vowles, they look to be making strides towards becoming more competitive, helped by Sainz's arrival.

Sainz said he buys into Vowles' vision and sees it as a similar project to the one McLaren were starting when he left them in 2020.

"I've always had the feeling during all those negotiations, I always had Williams in the back of my head as I always had that good feeling with James [Vowles] and the investment group Dorilton," Sainz said.

"I've learned over the years in Formula 1 to trust in my feeling about people also. I remember when I left McLaren in 2020, I felt like the team was moving forward and was going to be successful in the future, having spent time working with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.

"When I left McLaren, I said they might not be winning next year or the following year but this team with these people are going to be winning soon, four years later they're performing at an incredibly high level.

"I had this feeling at that time and now I have this feeling about the people and the culture in Williams, I need to trust that feeling, and this is what I committed to."

Sainz is currently fifth in the drivers' championship, while Ferrari are third in the constructors' championship, over 300 points above ninth-place Williams, who have just four points. 

After the move was made public, Vowles admitted he had first approached the 29-year-old at the end of last season, making it a top priority to sign him, something that the driver appreciated.

"It was very important, obviously he's the leader of the project, and he has the vision, and he shared that vision, and he convinced me," Sainz added.

"He did a very good job in that sense into convincing me and into sharing the vision he has and the project he has in mind with me.

"I think we are relatively similar characters in that we are both very analytical, very fair and open, and he convinced me, as simple as that."

Alex Albon remains confident that the foundations are in place for Williams to improve despite their recent spell of disappointing results.

After 14 races last season, Albon had achieved five top 10 finishes yet has only finished in the top-half of the field twice at the same point this season.

Williams revealed that their car was overweight at the start of the season, estimated to have cost them 0.45 seconds per lap.

Despite the disappointment, however, Albon still feels the team are heading in the right direction.

“It's a real shame that at the start of the year, we were not on-weight where we should have been,” he told Motorsport.com.

“Our car should have been in the points consistently for the first few races and then we would have shuffled down to where we are now.

“A lot of what-ifs but I'm happy we're getting the foundations in place. I don't think without the changes we've made, I would ever see us as a team that can get out of this backfield battle.

“I feel like now at least we've got foundations that can bring us up."

While Albon remains realistic that Williams needs to improve, he also feels their struggles are in part due to the improvement of the rest of the field.

"We are obviously not where we want to be. Truthfully, I feel like that's testament to the other teams too. That midfield group has made such a huge step,” he said.

"We've made a good step but relative to the others, maybe we are holding back a little bit.

"We've done a lot of changes within the team, last year into this year, there's been big changes around the DNA of the car, but also the structure of the team.

"When you put the team under that much work and do that many changes, it shows the cracks.”

Due to those cracks, scrutiny has been focused on team principal James Vowles, who joined the Williams in 2023 after 12 years at Mercedes.

His arrival saw an immediate improvement as Williams finished seventh in the Constructor’s Championship in 2023, three places better than the previous season.

They currently sit ninth but Albon still believes Vowles remains “the right man for the job”.

He said: "I have been very much a part of the project. James has brought me into it. He's very straight. He doesn't tell you things are better than they actually are, and I like that.

"I feel like whenever something's not come to plan he tells me the areas that the team needs to work on. He tells me if there's anything I can do to help.”

That pragmatism has rubbed off on the 28-year-old driver, who cannot see titles coming Williams’ way soon.

“If I am being totally honest, I don't see us being in position to fight for wins and titles for a while, but to do steps where we start nipping in and getting podiums,” said Albon.

"I believe that 2026 would be difficult, but winning in '27 would be much more realistic. We've got great investment, and we're recruiting very aggressively.”

Williams team boss James Vowles admitted he was surprised that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes wanted to sign Carlos Sainz for the 2025 season.

The Spaniard signed a two-year contract with the option to extend at Williams earlier this week, ending speculation surrounding his future.

Ferrari had confirmed earlier this year that he would not continue with them past the end of the season, having signed Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes to partner Charles Leclerc.

While Sainz was initially seen as a candidate to replace Hamilton, Mercedes look set to promote 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli instead, while Red Bull preferred to extend Sergio Perez's contract for the next two years.

Vowles was full of praise for the 29-year-old, explaining how it was an easy choice to bring him into the team.

"Look at Carlos," said Vowles. "Look at every team he has been in. They have improved significantly - and I get why.

"After spending the last nine months talking to him at least weekly, what I've realised is he is a performance machine.

"He will do everything in his power to transform himself and the team around him. And that's powerful. That's worth more than what he can drive the car at.

[He is] one of the top four drivers - if not at times the number two driver on the grid. Why wouldn't you want that in your stable?"

Sainz has achieved three Formula 1 wins to date, including a victory at the Australian Grand Prix in March, and currently sits fifth in the drivers' championship.

He is only 15 points behind team-mate Leclerc, who sits in third, while his five podium finishes this season have also helped Ferrari to third in the constructors' championship, where they sit 63 points behind leaders Red Bull.

There is speculation that Mercedes could make a swoop for Max Verstappen for the 2026 season, despite his Red Bull contract running until 2028.

With so many F1 futures up in the air, Vowles was surprised to find out there was not more interest in their new driver.

"Red Bull have a constructors' championship at risk - I would have Carlos alongside Max [rather than Perez]," he added.

"Mercedes have more info than I do. It's more than likely that they are very confident in the direction they will be travelling in. Whether that will be Max or Kimi, I'm unsure - but they're not fools.

"Red Bull will also have reasons behind it that I won't be aware of because they are multiple world champions. They don't make decisions lightly, but I was surprised."

Alex Albon has signed a new long-term deal with Williams, until the end of the 2026 season at least.

The Thai driver, whose existing contract was due to expire at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, has put pen to paper on fresh terms with the team he joined in 2022.

After finishing seventh in last season's World Constructors' Championship standings, Williams are ninth after a slow start to 2024.

While the length of the new deal is uncertain, it will take Albon into Formula One's new regulation period, which begins in 2026, and the 28-year-old is excited by Williams' future.

"This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in, which is why I have signed a multi-year contract," he said.

"The journey will take time, but I am confident we are building the right team to move forward and achieve great things in the years to come.

"It has been a difficult start to the year, but since joining Williams, we have made significant progress together, and I have seen huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid."

Team principal James Vowles added: "We are delighted to secure Alex's long-term future with Williams Racing.

"He has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication to the cause and this is a huge vote of confidence in Williams and the journey back to competitiveness that we are on.

"Since joining, Alex has consistently demonstrated his ability to perform under pressure, and signing him for the long-term is a big piece of the puzzle of moving us up the grid."