Williams team principal James Vowles has commended Carlos Sainz, who was already gelling with the team as he prepares for life at the Grove-based squad. The Spaniard is coming to the British team after spending the last four years at Ferrari and being one of the frontrunners.
After being replaced by 7x world champion Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz took the punt on Williams, a team led by James Vowles determined to get back to its glory days.
As a result, Sainz will be teaming up with Alex Albon in 2025 and has already begun work with the Grove-based squad at the start of the season. Talking about how impressed he was with Sainz, Vowles told Motorsport.com at the Autosport Awards,
"He's relishing it. You could see from the moment he jumped in the car in Abu Dhabi, his mind switched. This is where he wants to be, this is what he wants to do, he's part of our success story. He's fitting in perfectly."
Praising the Spaniard's amicable personality and fire to be successful at the team, Vowles added:
"He's a brilliant personality who, with him, brings not only race-winning pedigree but this want and desire for Williams to be successful. I was there with him this morning, with Alex and myself, for three, four hours – just talking through plans for the year, what we've changed, where we're going."
Carlos Sainz's stint with Ferrari was quite impressive, and even though he was probably marginally slower than his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, the gap wasn't too big. As a result, when the call was made for him to be replaced, it came as a shock to Sainz, who eventually accepted the decision, considering the stature of the driver he was being replaced by.
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz helping drive the team forward, according to Williams boss
Williams is currently going through a phase of rebuilding where the focus is entirely on putting the right things in place to help the team challenge for wins and titles in the future. As part of this restructuring, the inclusion of Carlos Sainz has been accompanied by Alex Albon being given a long-term contract.
Talking about the role that these two drivers play, Vowles said,
"His contributions – as are Alex's as well – are absolutely key for driving this team forward, because it's now into a level of detail where you're starting to chase milliseconds as opposed to the big-ticket items we work for. Already in the space of just a few weeks, real positive momentum from ideas, concepts, how we can change, how we can move forward, is coming."
Williams is coming into 2025 on the back of a subpar 2024 where the team arguably under-delivered. The 2025 F1 season with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon can be looked at as the one where the team takes a step forward in its bid to become top contenders on the grid.