“We connected because they have family values which are very similar to my own – which is about honesty, being performant on track with no politics, and it’s about how do you do the best job you can with the equipment you have. It resonated a lot between both parties.
“This was Abu Dhabi 2023, so no one knows what is going to happen with Carlos. What I’m doing is making sure they are aware we’re serious about moving back towards the front and here we are – and get to know me. Then the news struck with Lewis [Hamilton leaving Mercedes and taking Sainz’s seat at Ferrari for 2025], which caught me off-guard, and caught Carlos off-guard at the same time. So, I started the normal negotiation procedure.
ANALYSIS: How Williams won out over Sauber and Alpine to secure Sainz – and what it means for the rest of the driver market
“All the way through – and it’s worth checking with Carlos as he’ll tell you the same thing – everything I have told him is the truth behind this project, so that means all the good bits and all the bad bits. It’s just been consistent from start to finish.
“This is who we are, this what we’re investing in, this why I believe in it, this is what it looks like in the future – do you want to be part of it?
“I believe in this project; I left the comfort of Mercedes to be here for good reason. We have a history that makes us the second-most successful team on the grid, we have real tangible investors who are serious behind this project, we want success and this is what success looks like. Fundamentally, the same couldn’t be said up and down the grid to the same level and the same requirements. And I think if no one takes this as a sign that Williams has changed, nothing will change you.”
.png?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1&description=It’s been a heck of a chase – but after eight months or so, Williams Team Principal James Vowles finally got the driver he really wanted when he signed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz alongside Alex Albon on a multi-year deal.){kind=link}