Carlos Sainz has joined teammate Alex Albon in extending his stay with Williams beyond the 2026 F1 season.
Williams confirmed on Wednesday Sainz has signed a multi-year contract extension, a day after announcing teammate Albon had secured a deal for 2027 as well.
The two contract signings take both drivers off the market for another season and will likely ease some of the pressure which had appeared to be growing on Williams boss James Vowles after a difficult start to F1's new aerodynamic and engine rules cycle.
The team's announcement stated Sainz's decision was "a show of faith in Williams' long-term project to compete at the front of the F1 grid".
Sainz joined the team on the back of Vowles' ambitious plan for the future, but the team has fallen well short of that in 2026.
The team is currently ninth out of 11 teams in the championship, with just 11 points.
Sainz has been visibly frustrated by the team's poor performances this year and there was speculation ahead of the August break he might look for alternative options beyond Williams.
Wednesday's announcement ends that speculation.
Sainz said in it he still has faith Williams can become a significant force on the grid.
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"I'm thrilled to announce my continued journey with the Atlassian Williams F1 Team 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."
The announcement added that Sainz has "played an instrumental role in driving forward the team's rebuild, combining a detailed engineering approach with raw speed, smooth racecraft and a relentless determination to improve performance in every area."
Sainz's move to Williams in 2025 was seen as something of a coup for the struggling former world champion team. The Spaniard spent much of 2024 assessing his options after finding out Ferrari planned to replace him with Lewis Hamilton.
Vowles paid tribute to Sainz's talents in the announcement of the new deal and said he will be integral to any revival up the order.
"From the moment he joined, Carlos' 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," Vowles 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 Atlassian Williams F1 Team 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."