Sainz to Join Ickx, Prost, and Mansell’s Exclusive Group at Williams
On the list of Formula 1 legends, Jacky Ickx, Alain Prost, and Nigel Mansell stand out for a unique reason – they are the only three drivers to have raced for Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams at some point in their careers. Come 2025, Carlos Sainz will join this exclusive group, making him the fourth driver to achieve this feat.
The trio of Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams boasts an impressive 34 drivers’ titles and 33 constructors’ crowns between them. While Red Bull and Mercedes may be closing the gap in terms of world championship victories, they lack the historic aura of these three teams. Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams have been stalwarts in the Formula 1 arena since the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, respectively.
Ickx, Prost, and Mansell’s Careers
Ickx’s case is slightly different from his peers, as he didn’t actually race for the current Williams team. Instead, he participated in eight grands prix with Williams cars in 1976 for Frank Williams Racing Cars, which eventually became Walter Wolf Racing. His stint at McLaren was limited to a single race at the Nurburgring in 1973, where he achieved a podium finish.
In contrast, Prost and Mansell had more substantial careers with these teams, with their career trajectories highly intertwined. They were title rivals in 1986, with Prost narrowly beating Mansell, before both ended up at Ferrari in 1990. Prost outperformed Mansell at Ferrari, and the Briton returned to Williams in 1991, eventually winning the world title in 1992. Prost followed suit with Williams in 1993.
“While Ickx also raced for the big three in F1, it’s Mansell and Prost who truly understand what Sainz is about to experience.”
Sainz’s Journey to the Big Three
Fast-forward 30 years, and Sainz is completing the Big Three, but there’s a stark contrast with his predecessors’ record. Prost and Mansell amassed 73 victories from 281 race starts in those squads, while Sainz can boast just three from 115 and seems unlikely to add to this tally with Williams in the near future.
Sainz’s journey to this point hasn’t been easy. A Red Bull junior and Formula Renault 3.5 champion, he made his Formula 1 debut alongside Max Verstappen in 2015. With the path to Red Bull blocked, he made a shrewd move to Renault for the last four rounds of the 2017 season and the following campaign. However, he compared unfavourably to teammate Nico Hulkenberg. When Daniel Ricciardo decided to join Renault for 2019, Sainz was cast aside.
Sainz had a realistic choice between the bottom three teams in the championship – Alpine, Sauber/Audi, and Williams. Red Bull opted to promote Pierre Gasly as a Ricciardo replacement, and Sainz had no choice but to sign with McLaren, which at the time didn’t look like a step forward. Little did anyone know that Renault was peaking, and McLaren’s recovery would bring the team to third place in the 2020 constructors’ championship.
Sainz’s Move to Williams
With his career at a crossroads, Sainz led the McLaren resurgence and landed at Ferrari at the right time. At Ferrari, Sainz found himself paired with Charles Leclerc, his toughest partner yet. While Sainz doesn’t match Leclerc in terms of pure talent, he’s a more consistent driver and has been making fewer mistakes. Ferrari hasn’t been a regular frontrunner in recent years, and Sainz’s three wins and four qualifying-topping pole positions were no match for Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton.
When Ferrari seized the opportunity to hire Hamilton, Sainz had to find shelter elsewhere. With Mercedes and Red Bull not interested, he had a realistic choice between Alpine, Sauber/Audi, and Williams.
Under James Vowles, however, Williams is an enticing project. Dorilton Capital bought the team from the Williams family when it was on the brink of bankruptcy and has since been investing the necessary funds. Vowles was appointed team principal ahead of the 2023 season and found facilities that were two decades out of date.
For Williams, replacing an underperforming Logan Sargeant was a no-brainer, and pushing to hire Sainz was the logical choice given his pedigree. Vowles even sees him as, “at times”, the second best driver on the grid and someone who has a track record of leaving teams in a better position than he finds them.
Sainz’s switch to Williams will be a key subplot to the 2025 F1 season.
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