Carlos Sainz's value to Williams has already hit away from on-track activities with the team announcing a new Formula 1 partnership with Santander.
Having finished second in his final race for Ferrari in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, Sainz was back out on track for a filming day with Williams on Monday - the Spaniard driving alongside Alex Albon next year after making way at the Scuderia for Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz was aware early in the year that his place at Ferrari had gone to the Briton and after deliberating over numerous offers, he opted to sign for Williams – who at the time announced he would race for the team “for 2025, 2026 and beyond.”
It is a huge coup for a squad that struggled in 2024, finishing ninth in the constructors’ championship with just 17 points – but is a credit to the way in which team principal James Vowles is attempting to alter Williams’ fortunes.
While he took to the circuit on Monday, Sainz’s arrival in Grove also earmarked a huge multi-year partnership between Williams and Santander, who join Sainz in moving across from Ferrari.
“We are delighted to partner with Williams Racing with a tactical agreement that allows us to keep offering exclusive experiences to our customers and continue to support Carlos Sainz in his new stage,” said Juan Manuel Cendoya, Santander’s global head of communications, corporate marketing and research.
“This is one of the most historic teams with the greatest legacy in F1 and complements our role as the official retail banking partner of the competition with a focus on our main markets.”
Santander branding will be displayed on the Williams for the first time during the end-of-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit as Vowles welcomed the high-profile addition.
“Williams Racing is proud to add Santander to our growing roster of iconic and innovative partners for 2025 and beyond,” he said.
“Joining forces with a global banking giant trusted by tens of millions of people around the world is another significant step in our transformation and we look forward to working with Santander to engage and excite fans in the years ahead.”
While Santander opted to leave Ferrari, the Spanish bank will become an official partner of F1 itself from next season.
It was also confirmed in the press release announcing the new partnership that “the bank’s logos will feature on trackside signage at a number of Grand Prix across the season taking place in Santander’s main markets: in the US, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and in the UK, among others.”
Sainz will run for Williams in the end-of-season test alongside Luke Browning, the 2023 Macau Grand Prix winner having also stepped in for FP1 at the start of the Abu Dhabi weekend.
Having enjoyed a strong final season with Ferrari, Sainz revealed after Sunday's grand prix that he was already planning how to improve his new team while still racing.
Asked if it was hard to move on so quickly, Sainz replied: “Being very honest with you, I don't think so. I think, I'm not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team and trying to, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, ‘remember how this feels’.
“Because tomorrow [Monday] and Tuesday I need to remember, why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good?
"Because I know probably what I'm going to find tomorrow, and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car. So this just sums up that I'm already looking also ahead.
“I'm extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me."
