Among the most desired free agents in F1 for 2025, Adrian Newey and Carlos Sainz are the biggest names. While it is no secret that the Briton has received offers from Mercedes and Ferrari, the Spaniard also has many suitors. Amid all of it, Williams team principal James Vowles came clean about his links with both. That, according to Guenther Steiner, was not the best approach to take.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Red Flags Podcast, the former Haas boss said, “It’s a little bit of wishful thinking. Obviously, he’s [Vowles] going to speak to people – that is what you [should] be doing, you should be speaking – but before you say [it] you need to be a little more certain that they will happen. If it doesn’t happen, you look pretty stupid“.
Vowles’ pursuit of Newey and Sainz indeed is an ambitious one. The aerodynamicist has reportedly received lucrative offers from the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes.
Those could well be the offers that Williams, an arguably cash-strapped team cannot match. With Sainz, the negotiations with Red Bull and Mercedes haven’t ended either. Both teams are in a much better position in the championship than Vowles’ side.
However, the Grove-based outfit has picked momentum since the second half of 2023. That run has continued in 2024 as they continue to develop a better understanding of the concept.
Had it not been for a series of unfortunate crashes, Williams would have fielded upgrades earlier. But that takes nothing away from the change the team has seen since Vowles took charge.
Williams could be an exciting project for Adrian Newey and Carlos Sainz
Williams is one of the customer teams that buys its engines from Mercedes. The German team’s prowess in that department is second to none and that is what makes it one of the favorites to rule F1 in the upcoming regulations era that will begin in 2026.
Alex Albon, who signed a two-year extension with Williams, highlighted how this factor played a massive role in making him stay. While the team has its engine woes sorted, the addition of an aerodynamicist like Newey will make them a formidable force.
Through his decades of expertise in chassis designing, the Briton has dominated the ground effect era. That combined with Mercedes’ powerful engines can see him prolong that run for a few more years.
If Newey sees merit in this prospect and decides to join the team he once won championships with, there is no reason why Sainz wouldn’t. The setting would be too lucrative to say no to for the Spaniard.
