Williams Racing team principal James Vowles has plenty of reasons to be very excited about the upcoming Formula 1 season.
The 2024 campaign ended with Williams finishing ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, only scoring more points than a disastrous Sauber outfit.
James Vowles was forced into a driver change halfway through the season with Logan Sargeant not living up to expectations.
Franco Colapinto was brought in to partner Alex Albon and did a fine job, so much so, that he’s earned a move to Alpine.
Colapinto could replace Jack Doohan within a few Grand Prix if he doesn’t perform given the Argentine is a tried and test option.
However, despite Colapinto bright start to life in F1, he never had a chance to race for Williams in 2025 because the team had already signed Carlos Sainz.
Vowles chased Sainz for months to convince him to join Williams and will be hoping to see an uplift in his team because of the Spaniard’s experience.
Sainz has made an immediate impact at Williams after just a few days of running and working with the team at their Grove factory.
Speaking to F1 Oversteer and various other media at the Autosport Awards, Vowles spoke about Sainz’s arrival at the team and how he’s settling in alongside Albon.
Although Williams could sacrifice 2025 to concentrate on the upcoming rule changes in Formula 1, it’s hard to see the three-time race winner not having an immediate positive impact on the team’s results.
James Vowles loves how Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are working behind the scenes at Williams
Asked about what his new pairing of drivers are doing at Williams during pre-season, Vowles said: “I was with them this morning, we were just having a review of what we’re doing through the year, how the car’s changed.
“And the dynamic in the room is tangentially different to anything that’s been there since I’ve been in this team.
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“You’ve got two leaders who are pressing each other and pressing the team now for every detail that we can start pulling out and I love that.
“That’s what I’m here for, I’m here for the challenge and they’re challenging us day to day and they’re motivated and fired up for this team.”
James Vowles explains the changes Carlos Sainz is already making at Williams
Sainz has a reputation for delivering excellent feedback after driving a Formula 1 car which is exactly what Williams needs.
He’s improved every team he’s raced for at Vowles and will be hoping for the same impact at Williams over the next few years.
Vowles was then asked about Sainz’s first test in the Williams and what he noticed about the Spaniard’s run in Abu Dhabi and continued: “First of all, the utmost professionalism that came into the team straight away.
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“Everything from the outset, clear, concise feedback, direction. It wasn’t just all over the place, very focused on using data to drive the decision-making and make a few changes across the day.
“And then I think the lap times, we were not driving for lap times, but he was right up there.
“He was comfortable in the car, his feedback has already been incorporated into the car, which normally you can’t do.”
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