Williams boss James Vowles has revealed that the team has desires to provide new signing Carlos Sainz with a race-winning car in Formula 1 come the 2028 season.
The Grove-based squad landed a vast coup last summer when Sainz, who lost his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton, agreed a multi-year deal to move to the side in 2025.
Sainz putting pen to paper marked a high point amid what transpired to be a tumultuous period at Williams as multiple setbacks contributed to an arduous campaign.
Williams began the season with an overweight car and various shunts thwarted its plans to develop the FW46, culminating in a ninth-place finish in the championship.
But while it anticipates another challenging season in 2025, Williams is hopeful the rebuild it is constructing under Vowles’ watch will inspire a return to the sharp end.
Vowles is overseeing a revamp at Williams which has comprised renovating the team’s headquarters and hiring “close to 250” people since he was appointed in 2023.
Having been mired towards the back in recent times, Williams is aiming to capitalise on the impending regulation switch in 2026 to get among the series’ current elite.
Put to him that Alex Albon claimed that it could be possible that Williams attains victories as soon as 2025, Vowles quipped: “Crikey, I didn’t realise he said that.
“I think if you ask me to commit to a date, I would have said more ’28, but I think the point is we should be on the right journey to get towards there as well.
“There’s quite a bit of investment, senior management and other elements, that are kicking in for ’26 and ’27. It takes time in F1.
“We can shortcut some bits and I’m sure we can have some faster performance [coming] to the table, but you won’t have the foundations in place, and it will collapse at some point.
“Getting it right is the real key behind being successful in F1, not for one year but for many, many years in front.
“[So], ’28 I’d be a lot more confident about looking you in the eyes and saying, ‘Yes’.”
Sainz signing ‘one step’ in Williams route
Williams landing Sainz represented a landmark moment to the team’s ambition, the Spaniard having turned down Alpine and Sauber as it prepares to morph into Audi.
However, Vowles expressed that the champagne was on ice when the deal was announced as he branded it as “one step of about a thousand” the team needs to win.
“When it was signed, I was over the moon, and he [Sainz] knows I was over the moon,” Vowles said.
“When I told the factory, which was effectively there and then, I enjoyed the moment.
“Moments like this, they don’t come many times in your career, where you’ve made a pivotal decision that will completely change the direction and course of an organisation.
“It was within our management committee, they asked, ‘Right, what are we doing to celebrate?’, and I said, ‘We’re not celebrating’.
“This is just one step of about a thousand that we need to achieve along our journey to be successful.
“I’ll celebrate when you come to me and say, ‘Congratulations, Williams is a strong competitor fighting for wins and fighting for championships’.
“As horrible as that sounds, that’s what it takes to get me to a point where I believe we’ve been successful.
“Carlos is a huge asset, he’s a brilliant driver, but he’s a step along the way for this team moving back towards the front.”
READ MORE – Carlos Sainz provides cautious stance over initial Williams F1 prospects
