SAINZ COULD EMULATE HAMILTON TO MERCEDES IMPACT AFTER KEY DEAL STRUCK, CLAIMS PUNDIT

Carlos Sainz has been tipped to replicate Lewis Hamilton’s impact on Mercedes at Williams, Marc Priestley saying the all-new F1 2026 cars pave the way for that.

After four years racing with Ferrari, where Sainz’s results included a career-high P5 in the Drivers’ standings which he achieved three times, the Spaniard has joined Williams for the F1 2025 season.

Could Carlos Sainz’s arrival kick start Williams’ revival?

It wasn’t the 30-year-old’s decision to leave Ferrari, Sainz revealing he was in talks about extending his stay when he was informed that Hamilton would replace him at the end of the 2024 season.

After months of consideration in which he spoke with several teams up and down the paddock, including Mercedes, Sainz announced as Formula 1 broke for the summer holiday that he had signed a multi-year deal with Williams.

It’s one that already paying dividends for the Grove team as along with Sainz’s swapping red for blue, so too has Spanish banking giant Santander.

Williams team boss James Vowles labelled Santander’s arrive as a “significant step in our transformation” as the team looks to return to the sharp end of the grid having last finished inside the top half of the grid back in 2017.

The team’s most recent championship success came in 1997 when they won the double with Jacques Villeneuve crowned Williams’ seventh and last World Champion.

Former McLaren mechanic Priestley believes Sainz and Santander’s arrival could kick start Williams’ revival.

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“The Santander package that Carlos Sainz has brought to Williams will definitely help them, but we’re in a cost-capped era of F1 now,” he told Casino Uden Rofus.

“You can bring in as much money as you want, but you can only spend as much as everyone else.

“Williams will become even more of a profitable entity. It will help them fill the budget and hit the cost cap. Most of these sponsorship partners bring more than just money, some sponsorships bring tools, advanced personnel, expertise or more.

“Maybe Santander are bringing in some financial experts at Williams, but I don’t know.”

But bringing big-name sponsors to Williams isn’t the only impact Priestley believes the Spaniard could have on the Grove team as he’s tipped him to change Williams’ fortunes in much the same way Hamilton’s arrival at Mercedes sparked a period of dominance.

“2026 is a massive opportunity for Williams,” he continued.

“Lewis Hamilton was attracted to Mercedes because of the plan they showed him ahead of past regulation changes. We could be seeing the same happen with Sainz at Williams.”

Formula 1 will undergo a reset in 2026 when the sport introduces all-new cars and power units.

Sainz, who will race for Williams in the F1 2025 championship as well as the 2026 season, spoke of that goal upon his signing.

“I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey,” he said.

“The ultimate goal of bringing Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and positivity.

“I am convinced that this team has all the right ingredients to make history again and I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team.”

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2025-01-11T16:34:30Z