The upturn at Williams confirms that Carlos Sainz made the right decision in switching teams – and he attributes this to James Vowles
Carlos Sainz is slowly gaining momentum at Williams: After a bumpy start to the season with his new team, the Spaniard finished in the points twice in a row in Jeddah and Miami.
One thing is clear: Sainz is unlikely to regret his move to Grove following his departure from Ferrari. The other two serious alternatives for the 30-year-old last summer were Sauber and Alpine, the two teams currently occupying the bottom two places in the Constructors’ Championship – Williams is at least fifth.
However, Sainz reveals that the fact that he ultimately backed the right horse has a lot to do with one man, or rather his powers of persuasion: team boss James Vowles. “He promised me that this year’s car would be an improvement on last year’s – and so far he has kept his word,” says the Spaniard, delighted that “we are moving in the right direction.”
Sainz on Vowles: “That’s exactly why I support him.”
In any case, he maintains close and lively communication with his new team boss: “I talk to him about what we can do, how much CFD, how much wind tunnel. What I particularly appreciate about James is his clarity – he has a plan and he is 100 percent committed to it,” praises the Spaniard.
“He trusts his instincts, his concept, his project – and that’s exactly why I support him,” says Sainz, who even goes a step further: ‘That’s why I deliberately chose James as a person, but also the Williams team, because I see a clear project there, with ambitious goals and a strong will to achieve them.’
The latest results are certainly confirmation for the newcomer: “I think if we’re only three tenths off pole, then we’re doing a lot right,” says Sainz, referring to Miami, although he is keen to put it into perspective: ‘It may be an exception, because the track seems to suit our car particularly well – from the first practice session, the balance was just right and the car felt good.’
Williams is “putting all its eggs in one basket”
However, this does not detract from the positive overall impression: “When I see those three tenths to the front, I naturally want to develop this car further. I know exactly what this car needs – and as soon as you put it in the wind tunnel and tackle the two or three areas I’ve told the team about, there’s clearly a lot more potential there,” says Sainz, full of enthusiasm.
However, at Williams, resources are clearly focused on 2026, as team boss Vowles has made clear on several occasions – that’s also part of his plan. Sainz admits that this sometimes makes him itch to get his hands on the current car: “I think if the team let me, we could make a big step forward in terms of quality,” but the 30-year-old knows that this is unlikely to happen:
“The plan is the plan, so we’re not going to do that – we’re focusing on next year and putting all our eggs in one basket,” Sainz makes clear, but he can still live with that: ”Of course, I see the potential – even though I’ve only been here for six races, we’re only three tenths off pole. But we just have to stay calm and focused now,” he urges – especially his own patience…
