Vowles praises Carlos Sainz for 'phenomenal' Williams podium

James Vowles reflects on Sainz podium

It is somewhat ironic that Williams are now ‘best of the rest’ out of the midfield pack. The British outfit are 29 points ahead of VCARB in 6th, giving them a significant cushion with seven rounds to go.

However, Williams did not necessarily have high expectations for this season. James Vowles was consistent in his messaging last year, where he identified 2026 as the priority – which would inevitably come at the expense of 2025.

This is not to say that resources weren’t dedicated to the FW47. Indeed, the decision was made early last year to begin developing this year’s concept, allowing the team to fully divert its attention to the new regulations on January 1st.

Of course, in such a competitive midfield, Vowles made no secret of the obstacles that would present themselves. Other teams like Aston Martin, VCARB or even Haas represented genuine threats heading into this year.

It has not taken long, however, for Williams to surpass their own expectations for 2025. Even before Sainz’s podium, they have spent most of the year 5th in the constructors standings.

This is largely thanks to Alex Albon, who has been a very common appearance in the top 10 this year. In any case, the FW47 has proven very competitive, albeit prone to certain weaknesses – such as difficulty in tyre warm-up.

After a difficult season overall, Sainz feels his P3 last weekend is a reward for his perseverance amidst moments of misfortune. James Vowles thinks similarly, pointing to the significance of the Spaniard’s podium:

“The result is fantastic. I’ve been fortunate to have a few podiums in my career, but this is one I’ll remember forever.

“We earned this together as a team – a team that, in recent years, has been at the back, fighting just to survive, and now has battled its way back into this position.

“Carlos delivered a phenomenal race — an exceptional drive from start to finish, and a joy to watch.

“You could see and hear just how much it meant to him. I believe in positive momentum, and this gives Carlos a real foundation to build on.”

No pressure to end the season

With just over two thirds of the season complete, only the final sequence of the year awaits. Williams are in something of a luxurious position to end the season, having already overdelivered in 2025.

James Vowles was the first team principal, as least publicly, to unequivocally declare the 2026 regulations as the priority.

This was a bold decision, particularly in the context of signing a four-time race winner in Carlos Sainz. Thankfully for the former Mercedes engineer, this year’s campaign has been a success in virtually every metric.

What remains is to continue performing on track whilst the team in the factory pushes ahead with the construction of their chassis for the 2026.