James Vowles wonders why Mercedes and Red Bull were not seriously interested in Carlos Sainz, who he believes is one of the four best drivers
The future of Carlos Sainz is blue. From 2025, the still-Ferrari driver will drive for Williams – and to a certain extent to the surprise of team boss James Vowles. Although there was great interest in the Spaniard’s services in the paddock,
However, with Sauber (or Audi), Alpine and Williams, these were exclusively teams from the lower half of the field. Sainz was nowhere on the list of the top teams, especially Red Bull and Mercedes – or at least not at the top.
When asked, Vowles explained that he was “surprised” by this, “because I rate him as one of the four best drivers, if not the number two on the grid at times. Why wouldn’t you want him in your team?”
Ferrari announced the separation from Sainz before the start of the 2024 season because they were able to sign Lewis Hamilton for 2025. The cockpits at his former team McLaren are occupied long-term by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while Mercedes and Red Bull have set their priorities differently
Vowles: I would have taken Sainz at Red Bull
For example, Toto Wolff told El Mundo Deportivo a few weeks ago that Sainz was definitely on his list. At the same time, however, he also made it clear that they would take their time with a decision and that Sainz might not have that time.
His statements made it clear that the Spaniard would have been at best an emergency solution at Mercedes and by no means the desired solution. And although Sainz was once a Red Bull Junior, the bulls were not particularly interested in the Spaniard’s return either
Instead, the contract with Sergio Perez was extended once again, and with drivers such as Liam Lawson and Formula 2 front-runner Isack Hadjar from their own junior team, they currently have an oversupply of drivers anyway.
James Vowles is nevertheless surprised by the lack of interest in Sainz. “When you’re in Red Bull’s position and the constructors’ championship is at stake, it’s always a difficult decision. But I would have put Carlos next to Max [Verstappen],” he emphasizes.
Praise from Vowles: Sainz makes the whole team better
The reason for this is “that the teams are basically getting closer and closer together,” explains Vowles. As a result, the driver can make a bigger and bigger difference, and Sainz is able to do this – and not just in terms of car performance.
“Look at Carlos, and look at every team he has driven for. They have improved significantly,” emphasizes the Williams team boss and explains that the still-Ferrari driver is a “performance machine.”
“He will do everything in his power to change not just himself, but the team around him,” says Vowles, who emphasizes that this is a powerful quality that is “worth more” than pure performance in the car, because it makes the whole team better.
Ultimately, it was probably a “tough decision” for Red Bull and Mercedes. “They are not stupid,” emphasizes Vowles. At Red Bull, there are certainly “reasons for the decision against Sainz that I am not aware of, because they are multiple world champions and do not make their decisions lightly,” Vowles reminds us.
However, he himself would have decided differently – and is now delighted that Sainz has ended up at Grove.