Williams F1's Long-term Bid to Enlist Carlos Sainz

Williams F1’s Vowles shares key details, outlining a strategic vision to attract Sainz.

James Vowles Reveals He Shared Secrets with Carlos Sainz to Secure His Signature for Williams F1
Team Principal Unveils Precise Data to Demonstrate That Weight Was the Team’s Primary Hurdle

James Vowles disclosed that he did not hesitate to share confidential insights with Carlos Sainz to persuade him to join Williams F1. The team director fearlessly provided specific data to illustrate to the Spaniard that weight was the team’s only issue, or at least its main one.

“There are several reasons for this,” Vowles explained on the F1 Nation podcast. “I provided him with quite precise figures on the car’s weight, race by race, so that he could go back and calculate where the car would have been.”

“For the whole world, this would have meant that we would have scored points in almost every race, certainly at the beginning of the year. It’s quite painful for me, but it’s also a sign of the added performance to the car.”

“It’s possible to shed weight, and we are doing it. It is very difficult to add tangible aerodynamic performance, and weight is just one factor. I’ve done it a hundred times in my career: add 10 kilos, it’s about three-tenths; remove 10 kilos, it’s about three-tenths. There’s no room for debate, it works every time.”

“He knows it and sees it. So this first and foremost put everything together—and said, ‘OK, here is where you are in terms of performance’—which gives him a clearer view of the actual performance, of certain components, and that’s very encouraging.”

Sainz was also privy to the investments Williams has made in personnel, while Vowles also outlined his vision for the future, albeit briefly: “I also showed him what we are investing in for the future, in a nutshell.”

“I was unable to provide him with a detailed version, but I did inform him where we are investing, how much we are investing, why we are doing it, what I believe in. But I told him where we are investing, how much we are investing, why we are doing it, what I believe in.”

“He was aware of all the people we have recruited—and there are still others we haven’t yet announced—but I explained all this to him: what we are doing, why we are changing, what we are changing, why it will take the time it will take, why 2024 is more of a compromise.”

“2025 is also a compromise and it was a tough position for him because he is highly competitive and doesn’t want to be left behind in 2025, but here’s why 2026 is very exciting and that’s what you should look forward to.”

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

“I am incredibly direct. I told him I would show him everything, the flaws, but this message does not shift depending on where we are. It will always be the same. I think this helped him gain confidence in who I am as an individual and what I stand for.”

Although he acknowledges that he will not offer Sainz performance levels he currently enjoys, Vowles believes his team can climb back up: “Will we become Ferrari? That’s unlikely, unless I put a substantial figure on the table. But can we outperform the others? I think we have a chance. That’s why I really targeted Carlos.”