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Ex-Ferrari star off the market in shrinking F1 silly season... Here’s what it means Williams will take an unchanged driver line-up into 2027 after convincing Carlos Sainz to sign a “multi-year” contract to stay with the struggling team. The news follows the announcement that Alex Albon has recommitted to the team for next season, reportedly through the exercising of an extension clause in his contract rather than through a new deal. Sainz joined Williams last season after being ousted from his Ferrari seat by Lewis Hamilton, sold on James Vowles’s plan to rebuild the historic British team to capitalise on this year’s new regulations. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Those plans appeared validated by Williams’s overperformance last year, finishing fifth in the championship with two podiums, both scored by Sainz. But this year has seen the team plummet down the order. Williams is ninth in the championship with only 11 points, and Aston Martin’s big upgrade program is threatening to dump it down to 10th, ahead of only the newcomer Cadillac team. Williams’s underperformance this season — stemming from development problems that saw the car arrive late, overweight and slow — appeared to put its hold on both drivers at risk at a time several other midfield teams look upwardly mobile and with Max Verstappen uncommitted at Red Bull Racing. Sainz, however, said he has seen enough to know that Williams can turn around its plight and resume its 2025 trajectory next season. “I’m thrilled to announce my continued journey with the Williams family,” he said. “I truly believe in the people that form this team, both at the factory and at the racetracks, and the investments and hard work that are happening in the background. “We have what it takes to turn this around together. I’m as committed as I was on day one to helping get Williams back to where it belongs, and I look forward to creating more memories with the team.” PIT TALK PODCAST: Formula 1 returns from its mid-season break this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix, but there’s more to be decided than just the championship. | Listen to Pit Talk here > The team opted not to nominate a duration for the contract, which it said was a “multi-year” deal, but Sainz will likely have performance-based options to leave the British team throughout, something Williams suggested was not part of his original deal. Spanish paper Marca has also said his new deal comes with a considerably pay increase. Team boss Vowles, whose personal pitch to Sainz was instrumental in getting him over the line for last season, described the Spaniard as a team leader. “From the moment he joined, Carlos’s talent behind the steering wheel and dedication back at the factory have been extremely valuable for this project — working day in, day out with his engineers to find every millisecond,” he said. “He is a leader of this team, and I’m thrilled that he can see what’s possible as we continue to rebuild it . “It’s not just his racecraft and speed that stand out but the work he does behind the scenes in the pursuit of high performance. “Carlos shares the belief and ambition we have at Williams and is pushing every day to deliver it. “Along with Alex, I truly believe we have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid and a team capable of fighting for every ounce of performance together.” WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THE DRIVER MARKET? Sainz and Albon re-signing at Williams takes the historic British team out of the silly season ahead of its 50th anniversary celebrations next year. The season started with as many as 17 seats up for grabs, with most drivers having ensured they had flexibility to move this year should their team fail to make the most of the regulations. Few of those seats were at front of the field, however, and most of those that were have since been stitched up. Charles Leclerc has signed a new deal at Ferrari, quashing talk of the Monegasque exiting the team in the near future. Lewis Hamilton has also confirmed his contract already extends beyond this season. Mercedes is believed to have taken up options on both its drivers this season despite having announced them as committed for only this year. Isack Hadjar has performed strongly at Red Bull Racing and will likely be retained. Only Verstappen stands as a question mark thanks to a performance clause being activated in his contract by him being outside the top two on the title table at the mid-season break. Though rumours have connected him to both Mercedes and McLaren, neither team has space for him, and neither appears willing to make space available. Though the Dutchman had earlier publicly contemplated quitting the sport, he now seems highly likely to stay put for another year. The lack of movement at the front has knocked on as a lack of movement in the midfield and further back too. Given the huge swings in performance throughout this year, no midfield team looks sufficiently convincing to tempt a driver to make a sideways move despite almost every team having at least one seat unsigned. Drivers out of contract, midfield Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad Alpine: Franco Colapinto Haas: Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman Audi: Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto Williams: none Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll Cadillac: None Racing Bulls is likely to retain an unchanged line-up, though Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov is leading the Formula 2 championship and could make a case to displace Liam Lawson. It puts Lawson’s unexpected one-off Red Bull Racing appearance this weekend in a new and critical light for the New Zealander. Alpine is tipped to retain Franco Colapinto — the Argentine has improved considerably this year despite erratic form relative to team leader Pierre Gasly. Audi is expected to keep both drivers in place, as Williams has now done. Fernando Alonso looms as the only other question mark, with the 45-year-old veteran contemplating retirement. Aston Martin is eager for him to stay another year to guide the team — and to bridge the gap from its dire start to this season to better form next year, which might entice a higher profile driver as his replacement. Cadillac has both driver sunder contract this year, though it has had to bat away rumours that Sergio Pérez is talking to midfield team about a potential move up the grid.