– When Carlos Sainz was dropped by Ferrari to make way for Lewis Hamilton, James Vowles did everything he could to bring the Spaniard to Williams. Vowles thinks very highly of Sainz and still sees him as a great asset to the team, even though Williams itself took a big step back in 2026.
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For Vowles, Sainz is “more than just a driver” – actually “much, much more,” as he emphasizes. “He is someone who understands what success can look like. And he knows how to apply it,” says Vowles.
He is convinced: If Sainz were standing next to him in the interview round now, everyone present would be swept along. “You would think: ‘Okay, I will follow you in this direction.’ He is a leader, but he also understands what it means to lead organizations and push them forward,” he praises.
Furthermore, Sainz is “extremely good” at working with engineers. “Engineers have their own language, their own way of thinking – and Carlos manages to translate what he does as a driver into a language that engineers can understand,” says Vowles.
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“Please do not underestimate how important this is. Otherwise, engineers would often only look at data – and exclusively at data – and then you only understand what you can see.”
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However, Vowles has discovered a small weakness in his driver – which shows itself when he is not performing at the level he actually wants to deliver. For example, at the beginning of the 2025 season, when Sainz still had some problems mastering the adjustment from Ferrari to Williams.
“Sometimes his voice then becomes quiet, so he no longer drives the team forward,” says Vowles. “And my request to him is: Completely regardless of what you are doing in the car right now – you are driving at world championship level. Lead the team to success, because we always believe in that.”
The team principal has not recognized any more weaknesses so far. “I know, this is just a tiny little weakness, but that’s it. It’s hard to find weaknesses in him at all. He is a bit shy.”
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