The start of the 2025 Formula 1 season is still two months away, but already Carlos Sainz is preparing for the upcoming campaign and a change of scenery in the paddock.
Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari was the move that set off a chain reaction in the driver’s market last year.
However, while this created months of speculation about who might go where, initially Carlos Sainz was the only driver immediately impacted.
Sainz knew before the 2024 season even started that he was having to put himself on the market and every performance would be crucial to secure a new seat on the grid.
Mercedes showed some interest in Sainz that would have resulted in a straight swap with Hamilton, but they instead opted for youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
It left the Spaniard scouring F1’s midfield to determine the best option for him going forward and he ended up opting for Williams.
The Grove-based team only finished above Sauber in the Constructors’ Championship last year, but new teammate Alex Albon is positive about Williams’ future, primarily because they’ve got Mercedes power units for the foreseeable future.
That could come in very handy in 2026 when the new regulations are expected to favour whichever team has the strongest power unit.
The 30-year-old will hope that’s the case, although Peter Windsor believes Sainz will regret turning down Sauber, who may have an even brighter future once Audi take over next year.
Lando Norris jokes with Carlos Sainz as 2025 F1 preparations begin
Sainz took to Instagram as the winter break starts to wind down to show fans what he was doing to prepare for next season.
He shared photos of himself in the gym and riding his bike, keeping his fitness levels up during the off-season.
The four-time race winner posted the montage alongside the caption: “First week of training camp.”
Lando Norris is Sainz’s former teammate from their time at McLaren and still very close with the Spaniard.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
He couldn’t help but notice one outfit choice he made in several of his pictures and posted as a comment: “Did you wear that cap every day?”
Sainz was quick to reply and cheekily said to Norris: “I’ll send you a signed one.”
Carlos Sainz unlikely to see Lando Norris on the track during the 2025 season
The final race of the 2024 season came down to a shootout between Sainz and Norris with the Constructors’ Championship at stake.
McLaren needed the Brit to win the race to earn the title for the first time this century, and the pressure was on when Oscar Piastri was spun by Max Verstappen at the first corner.
This promoted Sainz into second and while Charles Leclerc pulled off a perfect drive in Abu Dhabi to go from the back of the grid to third, neither Ferrari could catch Norris’ McLaren.
READ MORE: Williams driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height
Sainz’s emotional farewell from Ferrari was capped off by a moment at their private circuit in Fiorano.
He and his father were allowed to drive some of Sainz’s old F1 cars but the 30-year-old now has to try and develop Williams into the strongest midfield team possible before the 2026 regulation shift.
Norris will expect to be at the front of the pack, battling against Verstappen again to win his first championship, and although F1 fans think Sainz could finish on the podium in 2025, it’s more like a pipe dream than a realistic target at this stage.
