Williams boss James Vowles showed confidence in Carlos Sainz staying with the team but acknowledged that the Spaniard has the ability to explore other options within Formula 1.
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Sainz’s time with the Grove team started positively, with two podiums and a top-three finish in a Sprint. Alongside Alexander Albon, the driver helped Williams secure fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship with the FW47, the team’s best result in many seasons.
However, the expected progress was halted with the FW48. The car was considered overweight before the pre-season tests and, with problems in the power unit supplied by Mercedes, the team began to struggle to score points. Up to the Belgian GP, the 10th round of the season, Williams had only 11 points. Given the situation, the site Motorsport Week reported that Sainz keeps his options open and considers Audi as an alternative.
Before the British round, Vowles stated that he and Sainz are aligned about the future and highlighted the driver’s desire to be part of the team’s development: “He and I talk, not daily, but probably every two days, and I think I’m not wrong in saying that he has expressed and stated: ‘This is where he wants to be, this is where he wants his career to be.’ Is he frustrated with the situation we are in today? Yes. To be honest, I’m frustrated too, at the same time.”
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Despite the difficulties, Vowles believes Sainz wants to leave his mark on the team’s project. “He has the ability to go, not necessarily to anywhere on the grid, but to several other teams. He wants this to be his, because he wants to put his DNA into it, just as I do, and make it something of his own.”
The Williams boss reinforced that the goal is to prove to the Spaniard that the team can regain performance and grow again. “What he is looking for is: ‘Do you have the ability to put this in the right perspective, reverse the situation and add performance at the right pace?’” he said. “That’s what we have to show him. I’m confident we will be able to do that.”
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