Carlos Sainz is no longer with Ferrari, and somewhat surprisingly, he has joined Williams. As expected, the transfer that has dominated the F1 headlines is Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. For the first time in the category’s history, the most successful team and driver are joining forces to enrich their respective legacies. In the past, this only happened when Michael Schumacher, behind the wheel of Maranello’s cars, set all the records in the top motorsport class. The Hamilton-Ferrari partnership is fueling high hopes and expectations, perhaps even too high.
This is considering that many factors need to fall into place for the partnership to start its journey in a winning way, in the short term. However, other market movements have created new professional collaborations that could prove much more fruitful than expected. We’re talking about Carlos Sainz, who starts his challenge at Williams with great enthusiasm. It is clear that, at least in the short term, moving from the Prancing Horse to the Grove team is a downgrade; though, there are various aspects to consider.
Carlos was taken aback by the arrival of the seven-time world champion at Ferrari. This is a well-known fact, not hidden by the protagonists themselves. Several leading teams had already defined their plans regarding their driver choices. Perhaps only Red Bull could have considered the Spaniard, but the Milton Keynes team chose not to offer a second chance to one of the talents raised in their academy. After all, the son of the two-time rally world champion has demonstrated different aspirations than those of a loyal second driver.
Carlos Sainz decided that he had to focus on two aspects: the project and the people. When he started detailed talks with James Vowles last spring, he realized the strength of the work plan that the Briton had developed, based on his experience at Mercedes. James Vowles was shaping a team with a clear vision. This plan was shared with the investment backing of Dorilton Capital, which aims to bring the team back to the top. All of this is driven by strong leadership, ready to stabilize the competition.
Carlos has seen this vision from the very beginning. Professionally speaking, he fell in love with this project, and his confidence has grown immensely. In a sense, Williams has offered Sainz the kind of challenges that the Madrid native knows how to make the most of. The Grove team is an organization on the rise compared to its recent past, and its ownership is making significant investments with ambitious goals. The Spaniard has shown that he is perfect for playing the role of “doctor” coming to the rescue of faltering teams.
His methodical approach and appropriate emotional management allow him to tackle adversity effectively. These qualities have been appreciated by all the team principals with whom he has worked. The “Sainz method” has proven effective at McLaren and even at Ferrari. The Spaniard collaborated fruitfully with Lando Norris (becoming a great friend) and managed to bring the historic Woking team back to the podium at the 2019 Brazilian GP, a race where they hadn’t finished in the top three since the 2014 Australian GP, after going through the darkest period in their history, marked by the failed partnership with Honda.
“When I left McLaren, I thought they had really super technicians and engineers, and that team could be world champion in the future. McLaren ended up achieving that dream last year. So I thought I should trust my instinct. I know that Williams has a good project with strong backing. And in the end, this combination of those two things really made me believe in Williams,” admits the 1994-born driver.
Even at Ferrari, he was immediately appreciated for his analytical skills, managing to grow alongside the Maranello team without being overshadowed by Leclerc.
It wasn’t easy, considering that Charles Leclerc is one of the strongest drivers on the grid. Carlos Sainz hopes to be an added value at Williams, transferring the important knowledge he gained during his time in Italy. Clearly, the welcome from the English team is one typically reserved for top drivers. Carlos was courted for a long time by James Vowles, who identified the former Ferrari driver as one of the best “accelerators” for the growth process. The Spaniard will have the role of team leader, a position he has never received during his long F1 career. Hopefully, he can make the most of it…
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