James Vowles Reveals What Convinced Carlos Sainz To Join Williams In 2025
Williams team principal James Vowles has opened up about how he convinced Carlos Sainz to move from Ferrari to Williams in 2025, noting his transparent approach in revealing key details of the team’s plans for the coming years, particularly from 2026, when the sport enters a new era of regulations. Sainz was impressed by Vowles' vision for the team and felt he could play a strong role in restoring it to its winning form.
Ferrari's decision earlier this year to replace Sainz with Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season prompted the Spaniard to explore alternative opportunities. While Mercedes chose to include a rookie in its 2025 driver lineup, Sainz's options narrowed to teams like Williams and Alpine. Sauber, soon to transition into the Audi Works team in 2026, was also a potential destination, but negotiations ultimately fell through. Eventually, after considering various factors, Sainz and Williams entered into a multi-year contract ahead of the summer break.
Vowles revealed that his vision for the team's future inspired Sainz to believe in the project, as he recognized its potential for success. He told Sky Sports F1, as reported by PlanetF1:
“What we can provide is this: he knows what we’ve got coming, certainly in ’26, ’27, ’28. We’ve given him some insight into all of that.
“It’s worth speaking to him over myself. Every time I talk to him, he’s actually quite motivated by what is coming in our future together and he can see the difference that he can make here.
“For sure, we’re way further back than Ferrari and even McLaren where he was before, but we have an environment where he can make a tremendous difference.
“That’s really what’s motivating more than anything else. Every time I talk to him, he’s just: ‘Have you thought about this? Should we do this? Where should we go here?’
“That’s why he’s still out there winning races in a Ferrari.
“I think he sees the future potential and that’s what’s driving him.”
From his experience at Ferrari, Sainz could bring tremendous value and growth to Williams, which won its last race in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. The Grove outfit was most proactive in signing him, while other teams like Alpine backed out after discussions. Revealing what led Alpine to not pursue Sainz after discussions, parent company Renault's executive advisor Flavio Briatore said:
“I spoke to Sainz. He was interesting for us, but only for four years.
“It makes no sense to take a driver like Carlos for one or two years. Either he believes in our programme or he doesn’t.
“I don’t need a driver who costs me a lot of money and is looking to go to another team when the opportunity arises.”