Sainz has made it clear that Vowles was key to his decision
Carlos Sainz says that Williams Formula 1 team principal James Vowles “did a very good job” of convincing him to join the Grove outfit.
Sainz spent months deciding where he wants to race in 2025 and beyond, with Williams initially regarded as the outsider after Alpine and Sauber/Audi.
Ultimately Williams won out over both manufacturer-backed teams because Sainz believed in the vision that Vowles presented.
“It was very important,” he said when asked about Vowles’s role in his decision. “Obviously, he’s the leader of the project. And he has the vision, and he shared that vision, and he convinced me.
“He did a very good job, in that sense, into convincing me and into sharing the vision that he has in the project that he has in mind with me.
“And I think we are relatively similar characters in terms that we are both very analytical, very fair and open. And I’m convinced, simple as that.”
Sainz stressed that having faith in the people involved is key to making such important decisions.
“I’ve learned over the years in F1 to trust in my feeling about people,” he said. “Also, I remember when I left McLaren in 2020 I felt like I had the feeling that team was moving forward, and was going to be successful in the future.
“Having spent time working with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, when I left McLaren I said they might not be winning next year or the following, but this team with these people is going to be winning soon.
“And four years later, they’re performing at an incredibly high level. And if I had that feeling that time, and now I have this feeling about the people and the culture in Williams, I need to trust that feeling. And this is what I committed to.”
Sainz stressed that he was keen to make a call on his future before the summer shutdown, while acknowledging that the final decision was only made in the week of the Belgian GP.
“I think it was important for me to take the decision before the summer break,” he said.
“It’s been a very tough, let’s say, seven months of my career where I had to deal with everything that happened in January, in combination with obviously having to perform and deliver as a Ferrari driver in a high pressure, high attention environment in Ferrari.
“In combination with having to decide my future at the same time that you’re talking to so many other teams, and analysing and putting everything on the table at the same time that you’re competing.
“And that’s why I put myself the target to take the decision before the break. And when I took the decision, I wanted to be 100% convinced. That’s why I gave myself plenty of time.”
Expanding on his choice he said: “I took that decision because Williams is the team that from the beginning I had very good feelings and very good conversations with.
“I feel like they’re a team very committed to F1 with a very strong project in the future, very strong leadership, and the will to bring a historic F1 team with the pedigree that Williams has back to the front, is something that motivates me.
“And it motivated me when I went to McLaren, when I went to Ferrari, when Ferrari was far down in the grid, after a tough 2020, and it motivates me now to a project like Williams. I cannot wait. And I think it’s going to be an interesting few years in my career.”
Adam Cooper F1 