Fallen F1 giant backed to emulate McLaren recovery

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has backed Williams to emulate McLaren's recovery, and become a leading team in a few years. 

Williams slumped to ninth in the constructors' championship last season, but has signed Carlos Sainz from Ferrari for the upcoming campaign. 

Despite a disappointing 2024, the Grove-based outfit has one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid for 2025, in Sainz and Alex Albon. 

Whilst the performances have not been excellent, it has been a transformative 12 months or so for the British team, under the leadership of James Vowles. 

Significant money has been spent to upgrade the team's equipment, having been judged as severely out-dated by its team principal. 

Unlike in the past, Williams is in a position where money can be spent, due to having financial backing. On top of that, the arrival of Sainz has also led to the likes of Santander coming onboard.

For Williams, it does appear that the only way is up, in particular when the new power unit regulations are introduced in 2026. 

Looking at the next few years, Montoya, who raced for Williams, is expecting striking steps forward to be made by the team.

“It is disappointing that Carlos Sainz didn’t end up in a better place but I think Williams are going to be another McLaren over the next few years," Montoya told CasasDeApuestas.bet.

"I think they can do amazing things down the road. Williams two or three years from now can be where McLaren are now having turned everything around. 

"They have the financial backing they need and have everything in place to get the job done.”