Major Carlos Sainz to Williams issue highlighted in ‘something he knows we don’t’ verdict

Carlos Sainz’s switch to Williams has been met with some consternation by one leading pundit, who believes the Spaniard may “know something we don’t.”

The long-running saga over Carlos Sainz’s future came to an end after the Belgian Grand Prix, with Williams confirming their signature of the Spaniard when he departs Ferrari after 2024.

Tom Coronel: Carlos Sainz must see potential at Williams

On the face of it, the switch from Ferrari to Williams will come with different expectations for Sainz. With the Scuderia, the Spaniard could score the occasional race victory, with podiums never far out of reach, even if an outright bid for the world championship has remained elusive.

But, at Williams, even podiums are – at present – a step too far for the team’s current level of competitiveness, as the team fights its way off the back of the grid to join F1’s midfield.

With four points scored from 14 races, Williams occupies ninth place in the championship and, having chosen the Grove-based squad over offers from Alpine and Sauber/Audi, Sainz’s decision has been met with some confusion by leading Dutch pundit Tom Coronel.

Speaking on the RacingNews365 podcast, Coronel said he hadn’t seen the move from Sainz coming.

“I still have the feeling that he thinks, ‘It can’t get worse there’,” Coronel said of the decision to move to Williams.

“It can only get better and then you can really mean something to the team.

“Of course, we have to remember that the back end is the same as Mercedes and McLaren. So there should be some potential in that car.”

But, Coronel highlighted a glaring issue for consideration, this being that Williams’ facilities are still significantly behind the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Aston Martin. Coronel therefore believes Sainz must know something is afoot to have been convinced to make the switch.

“The Williams facilities are, of course, a bit outdated,” Coronel said.

“If you then compare Aston Martin and Williams, you really have a state-of-the-art factory, with all the high-tech technology there and, on the other hand, the very oldest.

“That difference is just too big. There must be something he knows that we don’t.

“That tells me why he signed there. Audi [currently Sauber] can always be in the future. It’s about now and, now, Audi is the worst team and not Williams.”

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James Vowles: Signing Carlos Sainz ‘a huge event’ for Williams

Having beaten two OEM teams in Alpine and Audi to Sainz’s signature, James Vowles recently said that his transparency with Sainz had convinced the now-Ferrari driver that a brighter future is on the way for the lesser-resourced Williams squad.

“From the beginning, I gave him, warts and all: ‘Here’s what’s going to happen, we are [not] going to go backwards, here’s why – here’s what we’re investing in, here’s what’s coming, here’s why I’m excited by this project, and it’s your choice very much if you want to be a part of it’,” Vowles explained to media, including PlanetF1.com.

“But I know that we will have success in the future, and I know it’s going to cost us in the short term and I’m confident that that honesty and transparency has paid off.

“As much as there was more weight on the car, the actual aerodynamic performance of the car is in a reasonable place. We’ve just got to shed that weight off so that we can start fighting up at the front.

“I think what Carlos sees is what you need in the circumstance that he’ll be in is strong leadership – and I’m not describing myself, I’m using his words, it’s very big-headed of me to describe otherwise – and there’s not one person, it’s a team and the right investment to go forward, and he can see that with us.

“I think it’s a huge, huge event for Williams, to have two of the best drivers in the world fighting at the front.

“I think it is very much a sign of things to come, the fact that we are prepared to have the investment required to be there – and a lot of it you can’t see.

“But what Carlos recognised from us – and much of it you won’t see and you will never see, I’m afraid – but I did expose it to him is what we’re changing on the inside. That’s what’s exciting.”

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