Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

Vowles reveals how he got ‘stung’ with Williams’ Sainz F1 chase

by Taylor Powling
1 year ago
A A
Vowles reveals how he got ‘stung’ with Williams’ Sainz F1 chase

Sainz has elected to move to Williams.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Williams Formula 1 boss James Vowles has revealed that he wasn’t sure the team would sign Carlos Sainz until it was done, having been “stung” earlier in the season.

The Grove-based squad announced earlier this week that Sainz has penned a multi-year deal which will see him move to the side once his stint with Ferrari concludes.

Sainz’s prospects past the ongoing season became the centrepiece in the F1 driver market as Williams vied to secure his signature alongside Sauber/Audi and Alpine.

There were reports around the Spanish Grand Prix that Sainz was leaning towards Williams, but Alpine entering the mix caused a protracted complication to transpire.

RelatedPosts

Lewis Hamilton is eyeing a positive result at the Italian GP, his first as a Ferrari driver

Lewis Hamilton targeting Ferrari podium in F1 Italian GP despite ‘shocking’ grid penalty

18 minutes ago
Isack Hadjar setting his sights on Red Bull seat for 2026

Why Isack Hadjar is now more open to a potential Red Bull F1 promotion for 2026

2 hours ago

Vowles has conceded that Williams echoed that sentiment until a disastrous weekend where it had the slowest car materialised as Alpine sustained a sudden upturn.

Asked when he thought it was realistic that Sainz would come, he told media including Motorsport Week: “The moment it looked realistic is when his pen hit the paper.

“That’s the only time I thought it looked realistic. I got stung earlier in the year around Barcelona time.

“I thought we were in a very good state and that’s on our shoulders. We had a shockingly bad event. You can’t do that in professional sport.

“But from the perspective of the ups and downs, it’s been a tribulation up and down all the way through from, I would describe it as Monaco onwards.

“I think is probably the right timeline, where you can follow bits of it in what you’re reporting on, all of you.

“You’re picking up threads of it, but it’s been a rollercoaster, that’s for sure.

“But it hasn’t been a rollercoaster for any more than actually the driver market’s been really up and down.

“There’s no teams that have properly been committing and deciding their direction of travel right at the front.

“And that includes right up until now, last weekend, where there’s still discussions over where does Perez go, what changes there.

“When you have that instability, it’s completely normal that a driver won’t commit to you until such point as they know what their future holds and what doors and avenues are closed.

“That’s my opinion of it. So, as I said, until pen hit paper, I wasn’t confident.”

Vowles held discussions with Bottas when he was concerned Sainz could head elsewhere.

Vowles, who revealed that discussions with Sainz began last December, explained that Williams’ slump in Barcelona was the sole occasion he pursued other options.

“I didn’t call or contact anyone else,” Vowles disclosed. “In fact, the only time I did was later in the programme, where it became very clear that Carlos may not join us.

“And at that point, I’ve got to make sure that I put my eggs in multiple baskets to cover it off. But he’s aware of when I did that. And it was very late on in the process.

“And the reason why I did that, and it’s the same with the public element of things, is I strongly believe in what we’re doing here.

“I think all of you that know me well enough know that you can look me in the eyes and I’ll give you an honest answer that I really do believe in what we’re doing.

“The direction of travel, why it would be successful. And I believe the same around Carlos as well.”

Tags: Carlos SainzF1VowlesWilliams
Share205Tweet128Share

Related Posts

Lewis Hamilton is eyeing a positive result at the Italian GP, his first as a Ferrari driver
Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton targeting Ferrari podium in F1 Italian GP despite ‘shocking’ grid penalty

18 minutes ago
Isack Hadjar setting his sights on Red Bull seat for 2026
Formula 1

Why Isack Hadjar is now more open to a potential Red Bull F1 promotion for 2026

2 hours ago
Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson's clash at Zandvoort has sparked debate about F1's overtaking rules
Formula 1

Alex Albon questions the ‘power’ that drivers have under current F1 overtaking guidelines

3 hours ago
Load More

Discussion about this post

Upcoming Races

#EventDate
15Dutch GP29-31 August
16Italian GP05-07 September
17Azerbaijan GP19-21 September
18Singapore GP03-05 October
19United States GP17-19 October

Click here for the full 2025 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Oscar Piastri309
Lando Norris275
Max Verstappen205
George Russell184
Charles Leclerc151
Lewis Hamilton109
Andrea Kimi Antonelli64
Alexander Albon64
Nico Hulkenberg37
Isack Hadjar37

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Latest Articles

Lewis Hamilton is eyeing a positive result at the Italian GP, his first as a Ferrari driver
Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton targeting Ferrari podium in F1 Italian GP despite ‘shocking’ grid penalty

September 4, 2025
Isack Hadjar setting his sights on Red Bull seat for 2026
Formula 1

Why Isack Hadjar is now more open to a potential Red Bull F1 promotion for 2026

September 4, 2025
Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson's clash at Zandvoort has sparked debate about F1's overtaking rules
Formula 1

Alex Albon questions the ‘power’ that drivers have under current F1 overtaking guidelines

September 4, 2025

Follow Motorsport Week

Join our daily motorsport newsletter

* indicates required

Motorsport Week

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • 2025 F1 Calendar
    • 2025 F1 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2025 FE Calendar
    • 2025 FE Championship Standings
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
    • 2025 WRC Standings
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • IMSA
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd