F1 team principal reveals Carlos Sainz behaviour that shocked him

Carlos Sainz, Williams, Australia, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team principal reveals Carlos Sainz behaviour that shocked him

Sainz is working hard to get back on top with Williams

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 9 October 2025 10:57

Williams F1 boss James Vowles has revealed a particular behaviour that shocked him most about Carlos Sainz after signing him for the 2025 season.

The Spaniard was ousted from Ferrari's F1 lineup to make way for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton ahead of this year's campaign, instead moving to Williams thanks to the persuasion of Vowles.

It was revealed last year that the British team principal had been trying to tempt Sainz over to the Grove-based F1 outfit since the end of 2023, but since the 31-year-old made the move, he has struggled to replicate his impressive driving skills frequently on display at the Scuderia.

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After two DNFs and a DNS already in his first year with Williams, Sainz and Vowles were finally vindicated at last month's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where the former Ferrari star brought home his first podium with his new team in Baku.

Sainz could not have chosen a better race to land his first podium with Vowles' team, with rumours running wild ahead of the race in Baku that the Spaniard could be set for a move away from Williams already.

But he was having none of it and told media after the race: "I've said it many times and I'll say it again - this is my life project."

Sainz dedicated to F1 'life project'

Speaking after Sainz's debut podium with Williams, Vowles told the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast what it is about Sainz that shocked him most and why he thinks he can help the team progress.

“As to what surprised me with Carlos, a really good way of working with engineering teams," he said.

“Very clear, concise feedback that directs us where we need to be. I didn’t have to ask him to come into the factory.

“He came in at 9am one day. He was already sitting with the aero team deep in conversations over exactly this point in the data. ‘Just there, that’s where I feel the front wash out. And round turn nine, again there, that’s where I feel it.’

“And basically, we watched about a team of 15 people, then break down into that and go, I wonder if it’s associated with X, Y and Z.

“That wasn’t me saying, Carlos, I really need you in the factory on a Monday morning. At 9am to go and work with people.

“It’s his incentive to do so because he wants the team to be successful. And I think that caught me off guard.

“I’ve seen many drivers in my lifetime. It’s rare for one to be awake before 8am, but more importantly, wanting to spend their time with a team in that way.”

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F1 Carlos Sainz Williams James Vowles