Williams Racing will keep its driver lineup unchanged for the 2027 season. Alex Albon signed a one-year contract, and Carlos Sainz a multi-year contract. From Williams’ perspective, this is a very good situation. Albon and Sainz either believed in the development plans or couldn’t find better seats in Formula 1.
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Williams handled the announcement of contracts with its drivers in a classic communication style. On Tuesday, a separate statement announced a new agreement with Albon, and on Wednesday, at the same time, a statement with Sainz appeared. In this way, the team confirmed both drivers, and the 2027 season will be the third in which Albon and Sainz will form the Williams lineup. From the team’s perspective, these are very good decisions. Albon and Sainz are drivers of appropriate class and have performed well in this team so far. Williams’ problem is the very weak car they prepared for the 2026 season, which is why their results are very poor. There were no real chances of attracting a potentially better driver, so signing new agreements with the current drivers is the only logical move from the team’s perspective.
Important in the team’s issued statements are the specifics regarding the length of the new agreements. In Alex Albon’s case, it was announced that he signed a new, one-year contract for the 2027 season, and in Carlos Sainz’s case, a new, multi-year agreement was announced. Alex Albon has been driving for Williams since 2022 and has already become the driver who has started the most F1 races in their colors. Carlos Sainz has been driving for Williams since 2025. Previously, both drivers had multi-year agreements signed with the team. In May 2024, Albon concluded an agreement which, according to reliable media, bound him to the team until the end of 2027. In July 2024, Sainz signed a two-year agreement with an extension option. A few months later, James Vowles suggested in an interview that the Spaniard would remain with the team until the end of 2028. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Albon and Sainz had old agreements that covered the 2027 season, but they signed completely new ones with the team. There can only be one explanation for this fact: the team offered them higher salaries. They probably wanted to guarantee their stay and exclude options from the contracts that would allow the drivers to leave after the 2026 season.
Williams must significantly improve the car, then the drivers will ensure good results
Regarding Williams, a more important topic is the car’s performance and what is happening behind the scenes. Williams had a decent 2025 season; they quickly shifted all factory resources to preparations for the 2026 season. Expectations were very high, but they prepared an extremely disappointing car. Despite having an excellent Mercedes engine, they are competing at the back of the grid. They will only have an important upgrade package for the Azerbaijan GP, but they themselves claim it won’t change their form. Since James Vowles became the head of this team, the owners have opened the money tap and are investing a lot in infrastructure, but no concrete results are visible on the track. The situation around this team does not look optimistic. They were supposed to enter the new technical regulations well and try to join the frontrunners in subsequent years. Starting from such a low level, it will be very difficult for them to break into the top, at the moment it seems impossible. There are several other midfield teams that are doing better.
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In my opinion, Albon and Sainz had no other options from better teams, which is why they stayed at Williams and received raises to keep them happy. The 2027 season will be decisive for everyone. Without significant improvement in the car’s performance, drivers will look for better seats for themselves (there will be more options for the 2028 season), and I also expect major changes in the team’s management and technical department.
What else awaits us in the transfer market before the start of the 2027 season?
Carlos Sainz’s decision suggests that there will be no major transfer movements in top teams before the 2027 season. It’s no secret that Sainz is not happy with Williams’ performance this year and was interested in moving to another team. The fact that he signed an agreement already in August means he didn’t expect a spot to open up for him in a better team. Currently, 13 drivers have confirmed contracts for the 2027 season, and several others (like Mercedes drivers or Hadjar) are practically certain of their places. The possibilities for changes in various team lineups currently depend on two drivers: Verstappen and Alonso. If one of them decided to change teams / leave F1, it would trigger changes in several teams. If Verstappen and Alonso stay with their teams (which is more likely), there will be very few changes in driver lineups. Currently, the biggest chances for a change are at Haas, where Esteban Ocon might drop out of Formula 1 entirely, and his place should be taken by a young driver.
An article where you can find the full F1 team lineups for the 2027 season along with the contract lengths of individual drivers can be found by clicking this link.
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