Sainz puts faith in Williams to secure racing ambitions

After two years in the job, it is no longer a surprise when Williams boss James Vowles - former chief strategist at Mercedes and architect of numerous Lewis Hamilton victories makes his well-worn bold statement on the future of the team.

- KIERAN JACKSON

So bold, in fact, that it would be unadvisable if his words did not carry so much authority and his experience so much respect.

In short, Vowles has dismissed this current era of F1 as a free hit for a fallen giant of the sport. Yesterday morning, as Williams launched their 2025 FW47 car at an ice-cool Silverstone, his message did not waver. Asked when Williams could expect to add to their 16 world championships once again, he replied: “I’ve always said we’re focused on 2026 [when new rules come into force], ’27 and ’28. I want to make sure that we’re not taking short-term gain at the cost of the long term.”

This will not be news to Williams’ star winter signing. Carlos Sainz arrives at Williams this year a man beaten but not broken, having lost his Ferrari seat to Hamilton for 2025 and beyond. With Red Bull and Mercedes oddly uninterested in the Spaniard’s race-winning expertise, Sainz was left with a choice between Audi’s 2026 project or Vowles’s Williams masterplan. He chose the latter.

There is little doubt that Vowles’s visionary outlook and art of persuasion played a big part in Sainz’s choice; a choice which will have seemed a million miles away just over a year ago, when he looked set to sign a contract extension at Ferrari. Yet in F1, you are forced to adapt to the hand you’re dealt with and Sainz – fresh off two race wins in Australia and Mexico last year – will bring much-needed pedigree and composure to a team desperate to return to their once mighty standing.