James Vowles makes gloomy prediction on when Carlos Sainz can have a race-winning car at Williams

Williams boss James Vowles has made a gloomy prediction on when Carlos Sainz and the team can realistically expect a race-winning car. According to the former Mercedes man, this isn't happening until 2028, and that's the date he's comfortable with when setting a timeline for the team.

Vowles took over the team in 2023 when he announced that he was making a move away from Mercedes. He was next in line to Toto Wolff at the team, and in search of a new challenge, decided to be the one who would spearhead the team's rise to the top.

Since Vowles joined, there's been a concerted effort at getting the team back to its glorious past, where it dominated the sport in the 1980s and 90s. It has involved a major restructuring effort from the team and a major recruitment drive as well. A part of the recruitment drive has seen the team signing Alex Albon on a long-term contract and also hiring Carlos Sainz.

In a recent interview, Albon claimed that Williams could be even ready to win races by 2025. When put forward to Vowles, the team principal said the timeline that he would be comfortable committing to was not before 2028. As quoted by MotorsportsWeek, he said:

“Crikey, I didn’t realise he said that. I think if you ask me to commit to a date, I would have said more ’28, but I think the point is we should be on the right journey to get towards there as well. There’s quite a bit of investment, senior management and other elements, that are kicking in for ’26 and ’27. It takes time in F1."

He added:

“We can shortcut some bits and I’m sure we can have some faster performance [coming] to the table, but you won’t have the foundations in place, and it will collapse at some point. Getting it right is the real key behind being successful in F1, not for one year but for many, many years in front. [So], ’28 I’d be a lot more confident about looking you in the eyes and saying, ‘Yes’.”

---

Why James Vowles didn't celebrate signing Carlos Sainz

Signing Carlos Sainz was a big step for a team like Williams and a major thumbs up to Vowles, who had committed to raising the team to the front. He did, however, reveal that he didn't celebrate the Spaniard's signing much because for him, this was just another step in the progress the team is trying to make. He said (via MotorsportsWeek):

“When it was signed, I was over the moon, and he [Carlos Sainz] knows I was over the moon. When I told the factory, which was effectively there and then, I enjoyed the moment. Moments like this, they don’t come many times in your career, where you’ve made a pivotal decision that will completely change the direction and course of an organisation."

He added:

“It was within our management committee, they asked, ‘Right, what are we doing to celebrate?’, and I said, ‘We’re not celebrating’. This is just one step of about a thousand that we need to achieve along our journey to be successful. I’ll celebrate when you come to me and say, ‘Congratulations, Williams is a strong competitor fighting for wins and fighting for championships’."

For Carlos Sainz as well, this is a major step because he's taken a step back from Ferrari and committed to Williams. Whether that partnership ends up working or not is something that would depend on the progress they make.