Williams says “odds in our favour” of landing Sainz F1 deal

Williams is increasingly hopeful it can convince Carlos Sainz to commit his Formula 1 future to the team, ahead of next week’s self-imposed deadline to sort out its 2025 line-up.

The Grove-based outfit has made no secret of the fact that it wants Sainz to join its squad as future team-mate to Alexander Albon.

However, Sainz is weighing up several options for next year, including the Sauber/Audi team and Alpine.

Despite there appearing to have been little public progress in Sainz deciding his future over recent weeks, Williams team boss James Vowles said ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday that he felt his squad’s prospects were now increasing.

Asked to rank his chances of beating Alpine and Audi to Sainz’s signature, Vowles said: “Out of 100, more than 50%. How’s that?

“How confident am I? I think the odds are in our favour. But I’ve been stung by this already once this year. So, let’s see.”

Vowles has been clear for some time that he wanted his team’s 2025 line-up sorted before the team headed into the summer shutdown, which now gives him another week to get things across the line.

Pushed on whether he expected things to be completed by then, he said: “Tentatively, yes.

James Vowles, Williams Racing Team Principal

Photo by: Williams

“I’ve already stated before going into the summer break, yes. And I think there’s a line in the sand that I’ve created. I hope it’s one that we remain within.”

With Sainz’s next F1 contract decision so critical for his career, the Spaniard has not wanted to rush into making a call that he could regret later.

And while that has meant some frustration for the teams chasing him, Vowles said that he fully understood the thought process.

“It’s interesting conversations he and I have had pretty late into a few nights,” explained Vowles.

“He has one of the largest OEMs in the world [Audi] chasing him. That’s hard to turn down.

“An OEM that his father has won with at the same time.

“He has a team [Alpine] that has, let’s be clear about it, historically beaten us fundamentally. And again, that becomes hard to turn down.

“I can see that perspective on things. But here’s what he told me, which actually resonated the most. ‘The reason why I’m doing this is when I commit, I need to commit with all my heart and my soul, 100% – and to do that means I can’t have any doubts’. And that’s why he’s taking the time.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Erik Junius

While Vowles has another strong option in Valtteri Bottas, he says Sainz remains his preferred candidate.

“I want excellence within the team,” he said when asked if Bottas or Andrea Kimi Antonelli were options.

“I want race-winning performance within the team. I want individuals that are leaders. In other words, they are established.

“So out of all those, the top of the list, and I’ve said it from the start, and I’ll maintain it here now as well, is Carlos.

“In adversity last year, he won a race, and he did it in a bloody intelligent way, against some of the best individuals, that includes Lando [Norris] and Charles [Leclerc]. He beat them in the circumstances.

“I know he had a pretty poor qualifying yesterday but look at Q1 and Q2; he’s there or thereabouts. He brings excellence along with him.

“I’ve said it once, and I keep saying it, that is where my heart is set, and let’s see if the journeys collide.”

There were media reports ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix that Sainz would be handed a deal that would give him an exit clause if seats at Red Bull or Mercedes came up. This was something that Vowles denied.

“No,” he said about that possibility existing. “There was only a handful of people in the world that know what we’re talking about.

“That’s not even within the team as well. And it’s definitely not journalists that are outside this motorhome.”