3 reasons why Carlos Sainz going to Williams is a major risk  

Finally, Carlos Sainz has made a decision, and he will be driving for Williams in 2025. The driver was the center of attention when it came to the driver market because he was inarguably one of the earliest to get affected by the Lewis Hamilton-to-Ferrari move.

Since then, Sainz's name has been associated with multiple (if not all) teams. It started with conversations with Audi. That was followed by Sainz getting linked with multiple different teams. Williams was mentioned, as was Red Bull and Mercedes. Later on, even Alpine reportedly threw their hat in the ring.

After all of that, it does appear that the 29-year-old has decided that his immediate future lies with Williams. He's signed a lucrative multi-year deal but is also reported to have a special exit clause should Mercedes or Red Bull come calling.

Amongst all of this, there might be a sense that Sainz may have taken a risk by going with Williams. Let's take a look.

#1 Williams is still too slow

Alex Albon is considered the benchmark for Williams at this stage, and the driver has only twice scored points in the 14 races so far this season. James Vowles admitted that the team has been underperforming in an interview a few weeks ago, and there's no doubt about that. Having said that, the team is supposed to be still going through a major overhaul.

A massive recruitment drive has seen an influx from quite a few teams. Even with the changes, there's one issue left to be answered with Williams. Is this team capable of enough improvement by 2025 to become a regular points contender?

Something that Albon is struggling with right now is getting recognition for what he has achieved in the car. The fact is that the car is just not good enough to yield big results. If Williams hasn't made the expected gain that could help the team be a points contender, then that is problematic.

That means Sainz would be driving for a team that would be struggling to even score points. When that happens, your stock on the grid takes a hit. For a driver who still has his sights set on fighting for wins and podiums in a top team, this is very risky.

#2 Carlos Sainz has a worthy adversary in Alex Albon

Probably one thing that might be a cause of concern for the Spaniard is the fact that in 2025 he's going into Alex Albon's team. It is a team to which the Thai driver has devoted his blood, sweat, and tears, and whatever has been achieved by the team has been to a great degree a result of his efforts.

Since Albon joined, he has ruthlessly dominated against every teammate he has gone up against. Be it Nicholas Latifi or Logan Sargeant, Albon has not given them any room to breathe.

Having said that, Sainz is a driver of a different caliber to Sargeant and Latifi. Ideally, he would back himself to beat Albon, and common wisdom and perception do suggest that this is the case.

Having said that, he would be at a disadvantage when he joins the team because Albon has been part of the setup for a while now. If Sainz is unable to adapt to the team quickly enough and Albon steals a march on him, it won't be a good look, and that's something that the Spaniard would be hoping to avoid.

#3 Carlos already has a foot out the door

The move is looked at as a positive for Williams and to a certain extent, it is. But this is not necessarily a case of a driver committing to a project and what is being offered by it.

This is a case of a driver moving to a team that was willing to provide some very extreme exit clauses for a situation where another team came calling. Sainz would still be looking to make the most of his stint at Williams and drive the team forward. He would, however, almost always be keeping an eye out for other projects and better opportunities.

While James Vowles would be happy with having Sainz as a part of the driver lineup, it might not be the most sustainable play in the long term if one of the drivers is just keeping an eye out for possibly better opportunities compared to his current project.