Williams Boss Expresses Surprise at Rivals' Lack of Interest in Sainz

Williams team principal James Vowles has voiced his belief that newly signed driver Carlos Sainz is among the top four drivers on the Formula 1 grid, if not the second-best at times. The team confirmed on Monday that Sainz, who was dropped by Ferrari after the current season, will join Williams in 2025.

Vowles expressed surprise that both Mercedes and Red Bull did not pursue Sainz for the upcoming season. "Look at Carlos," Vowles stated. "Look at every team he has been in. They have improved significantly - and I get why."

He emphasized Sainz's capabilities, noting, "After spending the last nine months talking to him at least weekly, what I've realized is he is a performance machine. He will do everything in his power to transform himself and the team around him. And that's powerful. That's worth more than what he can drive the car at. Why wouldn't you want that in your stable?"

Sainz has achieved three Grand Prix victories with Ferrari and has finished fifth in the drivers' championship three times. Since joining Ferrari in 2021, he has closely competed with teammate Charles Leclerc, surpassing him in the standings during his first season but not thereafter.

The 29-year-old lost his seat at Ferrari after the team extended Leclerc's contract last winter and subsequently signed Lewis Hamilton, who had expressed a willingness to leave Mercedes despite a recently signed contract.

Red Bull opted to extend Sergio Perez's contract as Max Verstappen's teammate for the 2025 and 2026 seasons instead of signing Sainz. Mercedes also communicated to Sainz that they were not ready to commit to him, as they appear poised to promote their 17-year-old talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli alongside George Russell in 2025. Additionally, they are targeting Verstappen, believing they can acquire him from Red Bull for the 2026 season, despite his contract lasting until the end of 2028.

Vowles, in his first comments to the media since Sainz's signing, said, "Red Bull have a constructors' championship at risk - I would have Carlos alongside Max [rather than Perez]. Mercedes have more info than I do. It's more than likely that they are very confident in the direction they will be traveling in. Whether that will be Max or Kimi, I'm unsure - but they're not fools."

He added, "Red Bull will also have reasons behind it that I won't be aware of, because they are multiple world champions. They don't make decisions lightly, but I was surprised."

Vowles noted that Sainz had made it clear he is committed to Williams for at least the next two seasons. "The message that it was 2025 and 2026 and beyond did not come from us," he explained. "It came from Carlos. He wanted it to be abundantly clear to all of you and the world that he is committed and this is where he wanted to be."

Vowles transitioned to Williams at the beginning of last year after a successful tenure with Mercedes, where he contributed to eight consecutive constructors' championships from 2014 to 2021 and seven drivers' championships from 2014 to 2020. He highlighted Sainz's choice to join Williams over other manufacturer-backed teams like Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026, and Alpine, owned by Renault, as a "huge, monumental decision" and "one of the proudest moments of my career."

Williams finished seventh in the World Championship last year but has fallen to ninth place after 14 races this season. Vowles has been working to modernize the team, a process that has brought unforeseen challenges. He remarked that efforts to update construction processes have resulted in the car still being overweight.

Vowles, who first approached Sainz at the final race of the previous season, stated, "From the beginning, I gave him warts-and-all 'here's what's going to happen.' We are going to go backwards. Here's why. Here's what we're investing in. Here's what's coming. Here's why I'm excited by this project, and it's your choice if you want to be a part of it. But I know we will have success in the future, and it will cost us in the short term, and I am confident that honesty and transparency have paid off."

He acknowledged that the car's weight exceeded his expectations, but the aerodynamic performance is in a reasonable place. "We just have to shed that weight off it and we can start fighting at the front," he concluded.