Former McLaren mechanic, Marc Priestley believes Carlos Sainz made a “sensible” decision to move to Williams, considering all the options the Spanish driver had available to him. Priestley recently explained why he believes Williams can emerge as a dark horse when the regulations change in 2026.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, the 47-year-old said, “Carlos Sainz to Williams, I can see why that happened. I think it was a sensible move for Carlos”.
My latest YT video…
Reacting To F1’s Biggest Summer Break Rumourshttps://t.co/zgE6F0wexM
— Marc Priestley (@f1elvis) August 13, 2024
Priestley then added that while Sainz would have undoubtedly wanted to move to a top team after leaving Ferrari, he believes that the Spaniard and Williams can emerge as one of the top sides in 2026 under the leadership of James Vowles. Priestley added, “For 2026, they seem to have a good shot as anybody else”.
Williams team principal, James Vowles also believes that his side has a brilliant chance of returning to the front in a few seasons if not as early as 2026. That is exactly what the British boss told Sainz to persuade the Spaniard to join Williams.
Vowles explains how he convinced Sainz
In an interview with Lawrence Barretto, Vowles revealed that he first approached Sainz after the conclusion of the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP. Back then, Sainz was still a Ferrari driver at the time and there was no news that the team would decide to sign Lewis Hamilton a few months later for 2025. So, Vowles just had a casual conversation with the #55 driver to showcase Williams’ interest in signing him.
However, soon after Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton will replace Sainz in 2025, Vowles decided to have more serious conversations with the Spaniard’s family. The former Mercedes man explained to Sainz how Williams are no longer just a backmarker team and that they are “serious about moving back towards the front”.
If Williams are indeed able to produce a strong car when the regulations change in 2026, they could be the constructor that dominates the grid. And with a strong driver line-up consisting of Sainz and Alex Albon, Williams will be confident that they have two racers who can get the maximum out of their challenger.
