“I Was Only Speaking to Carlos”: James Vowles Admits He Had No Back up if Sainz Rejected Williams Offer

One of the biggest driver market news stories of this year’s silly season has been Carlos Sainz’s move to Williams. After a long time, a multiple-time Grand Prix winner will drive for the Grove-based outfit again. Since Williams have pulled off such a huge move, team principal James Vowles has been receiving all the credit.

Now, the Briton has revealed on the Nailing the Apex podcast that he did not speak to anyone other than the Spaniard to fill the second seat at Williams, and had the 30-year-old rejected his side, he did not have any backup option. When asked about how he decided that Sainz was the right fit for Williams, Vowles began his reply by stating,

“I was only speaking to Carlos and his family back then — no one else. And pretty much the whole process that was the only individual I was talking to as well”.

James Vowles about convincing Carlos:

“It was shockingly close to dating. It started with messages and it ended with my going to his hotel room.”#CarlosSainzpic.twitter.com/HCGLSKP4Bx

— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) August 26, 2024

The Briton then further explained that he knew Sainz was the right fit for him as the Spaniard is a very fast driver and showcased his capabilities in Singapore last year.

That was a race when Sainz utilized a clever strategy by backing up the whole pack, ensuring that a DRS train was formed, to maintain his lead till the chequered flag as he knew he did not have the fastest car.

This kept the charging Mercedes duo — who were on faster medium tires — at bay, with Sainz using Lando Norris’ McLaren as cover in P2 and purposely giving him DRS to maintain his position. Vowles has seen many such clever moves from the Spaniard on the track and he hopes that Sainz keeps up with this track record at Williams.

Vowles: “He’s held his own” against very strong teammates

During the same podcast, Vowles also revealed how Sainz has managed to soak up the pressure despite having some of the best teammates in the sport. The Williams boss highlighted that Sainz had Max Verstappen as his teammate at Toro Rosso, Lando Norris at McLaren, and now Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

Despite having such top drivers as teammates, Vowles stated, “Every time against them, he’s held his own for the most part”. Furthermore, the 45-year-old also believes that Sainz has the capability to lead a team as every team that the Spaniard has been with, has moved ahead in F1.

Since such a top driver like Sainz will join Williams in 2025, the prospects of the Grove-based outfit undoubtedly seem bright. The team is even performing at a very high level this year ever since Franco Colapinto replaced the underfiring Logan Sargeant.