Carlos Sainz brings a breath of fresh air to Williams: Team boss James Vowles praises his work ethic and influence on the team’s development
Carlos Sainz has not been part of Williams for long, but his influence within the Formula 1 team is already being felt, explains team boss James Vowles. “He’s enjoying it,”
Sainz joined Williams alongside Alexander Albon this season, having driven for Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari during his first ten years in Formula One. Ferrari replaced him with Lewis Hamilton for 2025.
The experienced Spaniard made his Williams debut at the season-ending test in Abu Dhabi. “You could see that his head immediately switched when he got into the car in Abu Dhabi,” reveals Vowles. “This is the place he wants to be, this is what he wants to do – he is part of our success story.”
“He’s a perfect fit for the team. He has a great personality and brings not only the experience of being a race winner, but also the will and desire to make Williams successful,“ the Williams team principal is convinced.
”I was with him and Alex (Albon) this morning – for three to four hours – going through plans for the year, what we’ve changed and where we’re going.”
Sainz has been working with the team at the Grove factory since last month, and Vowles is impressed with his new driver’s initial contributions.
“His input – along with Alex’s – is absolutely crucial to moving the team forward, because now we’re dealing with details where we’re tweaking milliseconds instead of just making big changes,” explains Vowles.
“In just a few weeks, his ideas and concepts have already created real positive momentum in the way we can change and develop.” Sainz is only the fourth driver in Formula 1 history to have driven for Ferrari, McLaren and Williams.
While he was not always clearly faster than rookie Lando Norris at McLaren and had to keep up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, according to Vowles, the Spaniard played a crucial role in helping those teams move forward – including Ferrari, which was competing for the title for the first time since 2018 last year.
“He really leaves no stone unturned,” enthuses Sainz’s team boss. “Today there was a statistic on the Formula 1 channel that shows where all the teams he was with ended up. It’s no coincidence. He’s a hard worker and a conscientious worker who brings success with him – and he wants us to be successful.”