Williams make Carlos Sainz admission with clear message sent to new driver

Williams team principal James Vowles admitted Carlos Sainz remains on the team’s radar for next season, but that does not mean he will sign for them.

Sainz is taking stock of his future options as he prepares to leave Ferrari at the end of the year – with Williams having made the Spanish driver their number one target to partner Alex Albon next season – but Vowles added the timelines of the two parties may not add up as the 29-year-old continues to assess his options.

Carlos Sainz future: Williams ‘timeline’ may not match as future plans fall into place

Sainz himself has said the picture surrounding where he moves next has “always been complicated” , which in part explains why he has not taken a decision yet on where he will go next.

For Vowles, however, he remains determined to make Williams a team drivers will want to race for as a priority rather than as a ‘stepping stone’ to elsewhere, as a key priority of his.

“I think we’ve been fairly forthright and open on who we’d like to sign, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily happen,” Vowles told talkSPORT .

“We know where we place in the grand scheme of things.

“What I would say is this, what I want is a driver that also wants to be a part of our journey, that wants to really, understands what Williams is about, both the old and the new, and wants that to be at the heart of what they’re doing driving wise.

“And sometimes that doesn’t match up. Sometimes it does, but that’s really important to me.”

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With that, Vowles was asked if he wants to see Williams as not being a ‘stepping stone’ team, to which he responded: “Correct. And that’s not what I see at all. I left Mercedes to come here.

“The reason why I did is not because I’m bored of winning, but rather I want to invest in something that’s my own, that has my fingerprint on it, and the fingerprint of a thousand other people working in this organisation, and the fingerprint of Alex [Albon] that would join us on that journey.

“That’s important to me. It’s important to him. And I want that to be at the foundation of a decision.”

On how he gets on with both Sainz and his father, Carlos Sainz Sr, Vowles added he has a solid relationship with them, and maintained his priority with Williams is to lay out what the team can offer and what they can provide moving forward.

But if they cannot match up on timelines, he admitted the team will “find our own pathway” with another candidate.

“I think in the case of, [Carlos Sainz] Sr and I have a good relationship,” Vowles said.

“I like him. He’s a multiple World Champion. There’s every reason behind it, he knows what he’s talking about.

“In the case of [Carlos Sainz] Jr, I get it. To some extent, his dream was to be in a Ferrari or in a top team. That’s not happening, and you need adaptation period to it.

“My goal behind it is simply to lay it on the table. This is what we can offer, if you want it, great, we’re here. And if you don’t, not a problem. We’re going to find our own pathway through to things.

“So his timeline might not be the same as my timeline is the best way of putting it.”

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