Williams has revealed it first approached Carlos Sainz about an F1 drive in Abu Dhabi final yr, earlier than anybody knew Lewis Hamilton would change him.
Following months of intrigue about Sainz’s future, it was introduced on Monday that he had agreed a deal that can commit him to Williams for at the least the following two years.
It got here after the Spaniard had courted presents from Sauber/Audi and Alpine, whereas he had additionally held out hope of Pink Bull or Mercedes opening doorways for him.
However the resolution to decide to Williams comes after its staff principal James Vowles mentioned it had been clear for months that Sainz was his primary goal, and that an strategy had been made even earlier than it grew to become clear he can be leaving Ferrari on the finish of this yr.
“The dialog has been many months,” defined Vowles in a name with media on Tuesday.
“It hasn’t been weeks, of which you have been aware about a few of it as a result of it has been a bit extra public than I might usually do with a driver dialogue, nevertheless it really began approach again in Abu Dhabi final yr.”
Whereas Sainz didn’t seem like on the open market on the time, and lots of anticipated him to stay at Ferrari from 2025, Vowles mentioned he approached him on the F1 finale as a result of he felt he had an opportunity of profitable him over.
“There’s just one driver I spoke to in Abu Dhabi final yr, just one, and it was Carlos, simply to be tremendous clear,” he defined.
“I did not unfold guess. I went for one driver that I assumed would make the distinction.”
Vowles believes that, off the again of his staff ending seventh within the constructors’ championship final yr, Williams may make sufficient progress to persuade Sainz to leap ship from Ferrari.
James Vowles, Staff Principal, Williams Racing
Photograph by: Williams
However these hopes fell brief when Williams’ 2024 marketing campaign began on the again foot because of its automotive being obese.
“I assumed, for full transparency, that we would not have the load on the automotive, and you do not know the numbers, but when we’d have been in a points-scoring place each weekend, I really suppose it might have been a harder selection for him [to stay] if Ferrari was extra on the rocks, and I did not know that it might be.
“My level was to place myself in probably the most wise approach potential for that. However efficiency drives every thing. If you happen to’re within the factors you may have much more cellphone calls than in the event you’re not.”
It was solely when Hamilton’s Ferrari deal for 2025 was introduced in February that Vowles knew his possibilities of touchdown Sainz had been significantly improved.
Requested if he knew about Hamilton upfront, Vowles mentioned: “I had no inkling in any respect. That was an entire shock to me.
“When Lewis was introduced, completely no thought. I knew Lewis had his coronary heart set there ultimately, however I additionally know the top of that deal, as a result of I used to be part of it, and I used to be knocked off my chair the day that that occurred.”
Whereas Vowles held talks with different drivers in current weeks, together with Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon, he mentioned that was solely carried out as a result of there was a worry that the Sainz deal was going to fall via.
“I did not name or contact anybody else,” added Vowles. “In actual fact, the one time I did was later within the programme the place it grew to become very clear that Carlos could not be part of us.
“And at that time, I’ve acquired to be sure that I put my eggs in a number of baskets to cowl it off. However he is conscious of once I did that, and it was very late on within the course of.”
Whereas there have been rumours in current weeks that one of many components Sainz wished earlier than committing to Williams was an exit clause that allowed him to affix Pink Bull or Mercedes if a seat opened up, Vowles has clarified that such a component doesn’t exist.
Requested in regards to the rumours which have appeared in some media about an exit clause, Vowles mentioned: “There are exactly 10 folks on the earth that know what the inside of the contract holds, simply 10.
“And I assure you, none of you on the decision is it, nobody on this firm is it, and significantly sat round me in the mean time. The Carlos camp know, and I do know what’s inside that. So something you have learn on the web is theory, and that’s it.
“The message that [the deal is for] ’25 and ’26 and past didn’t come from myself, that got here from Carlos. He wished it to be abundantly clear to all of you, to the world, that he has dedicated and that is the place he desires to be.”
