Williams Reveals Big Secret Behind Signing Carlos Sainz

Saajan Jogia | Aug 6, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ferrari driver driver Carlos Sainz (ESP) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Williams team principal James Vowles revealed all that happened during the negotiations with Carlos Sainz that enabled his team to sign him for the next two years, beating teams such as Audi/Sauber, Alpine, and Mercedes in the race to have the Ferrari driver.

Despite its dwindling performance in the 2024 season thus far, Williams bagged a big win in the form of Sainz. The 29-year-old driver has shown remarkable performances throughout his tenure in Formula 1. One notable instance that sums up his abilities is from the previous season, where he was the only non-Red Bull driver in the entire grid to have won a race.

To sign a driver of such caliber of driver for a team that managed to score just four points in the last 14 races is a near-impossible task. However, Vowles appears to have succeeded with an exceptionally straightforward and transparent approach, likely revealing to Sainz the potential rewards that await at Williams.

When asked on the F1 Nation podcast how he convinced Sainz to join Williams, Vowles began by revealing the actual weight figures of the FW46 F1 car to Sainz. He said:

“I think it was a few things.

“I gave him quite accurate weight figures for where the car is overweight race by race, so he can go back and calculate from that where the car would have been.

“And for the world, it would have meant we were point scoring at pretty much every race, certainly at the beginning of the year.

“And that’s quite painful for me, but it’s also a sign of the performance added to the car.

“Weight is possible to remove and we are removing it. It’s very hard to add real tangible aerodynamic performance and weight is just a function.

“I’ve done it 100 times in my career – add 10 kilos, it’s about three tenths; take off 10 kilos, it’s about three tenths. There’s no point debating it, it does it every time. He knows that and he can see that.

“So first and foremost is he put [it all] together -and said]: ‘OK, this is where you are performance-wise’ – which allows him a clearer view of where the real performance is, of certain elements of things, and that’s very encouraging.”

Next, Vowles revealed investment figures to Sainz to show the expanding possibilities taking shape for the future, including the recruits lined up to join the team. It is noteworthy that the team boss was frank in his approach by informing Sainz that the current and next season are a compromise in many ways. He emphasized that the larger plans are being drawn for 2026 when F1 enters a new era of regulations. He added:

“What I also showed him is what we’re investing in [for] the future in a lightweight way. I couldn’t give them the in-depth [version] of it.

“But [I told him] where we’re investing, how much we’re investing, why we’re doing that, what I believe in, how long it would take to come on board.

“He knew about all the people we’re signing – and, by the way, there’s still more that we haven’t announced at the moment – but I took him through all of that: what we’re doing, why we’re changing what we’re changing, why it will take the time it will take, why ’24 is more of a compromise.

“2025 is a compromise as well and that was a difficult position for him because he’s hyper-competitive and doesn’t want to be on the backfoot in ’25, but here’s why ’26 is quite exciting and this is what you have to look forward to."

Vowles hinted that his talks with Sainz began last season in Abu Dhabi with a narrative that hasn't changed since. He said:

“And here’s the real key behind it, and it’s worth asking him rather than me just telling you: the same message I gave him [when talks started] in Abu Dhabi last year is exactly the same message I gave him two weeks ago. Hasn’t changed.

“I’m incredibly straightforward. I will show you everything, warts and all, but that message doesn’t migrate depending on where we are. It will always be the same one.

“I think that aided him to gain confidence in who I am as an individual and what I stand for.”

In addition, Vowles assured Sainz that though Williams does not have the resources to be like Ferrari, it surely possesses the capability to beat other teams on the race track. He said:

“Are we going to be Ferrari? It’s unlikely, unless I were to put a big number on the table.

“But can we beat others? I think we have a chance here. What it boiled down to is that’s why I really put the target on [Sainz].”