James Vowles highlights the ‘most important’ reason for signing Carlos Sainz from Ferrari

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Carlos Sainz is set to join Alex Albon at Williams in 2025, in what will be one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid.

The Spaniard joins after a four-year stint at Ferrari in which he has achieved three victories so far, the most significant being last season when he derailed Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s perfect season.

Williams team principal James Vowles initially targeted Sainz for a drive in Abu Dhabi last year, and when he learned that Ferrari would be pursuing Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, talks advanced.

After what Vowles called a series of ’emotional swings’ because the whole paddock was after Sainz, the pair eventually agreed on a deal for him to switch to the team that is attempting to recapture its former glory.

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Vowles felt Carlos Sainz was the perfect fit for where the team is at the moment, and highlighted one important reason when speaking on the Nailing The Apex podcast.

James Vowles highlights how Carlos Sainz beat Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc

Sainz has been up against some of the best drivers in F1 having been teammates to Lando Norris at McLaren and recently Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

Williams does not expect him to be a number two driver in the team to Albon, which is why they think he will be beneficial to them in the long term.

“Every team that he’s been in, he’s been up against Lando, which you can see at the moment, Lando could be fighting for a world championship, drivers’ championship. He’s been up against Charles, who is very, very quick on his day. He’s been up against Max,” said Vowles.

“He’s been up against some of the best names in the sport. If I ask you to list your top three or four and every time against them, he’s held his own for the most part. And that’s the important part, or beating them.”

James Vowles tells Carlos Sainz to expect ‘sacrifices’ going forward

Williams is currently on a mission to improve its chances of finishing higher up the field by reinvesting in a lot of its facilities and improving their processes behind the scenes.

A lot of this will take time before they can realise their true potential, which is why Vowles has warned Sainz that there will be sacrifices moving forward.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

Sainz will need to be prepared for this as he is normally used to driving for a team that can readily challenge for race wins.

The move to Williams is set to be an interesting dynamic, not least because the Spaniard reportedly has a clause in his contract that enables him to switch to Red Bull or Mercedes if they want his services.