James Vowles has surprisingly declared that Williams F1 will have the best driver line-up on the grid in 2025.
Williams has signed Carlos Sainz for next year, placing him alongside Alex Albon.
It’s a bold statement from Vowles given that Ferrari will have Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, while McLaren have retained Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“In 2025, I think we will have the best driver duo on the grid. I mean, Franco is doing a brilliant job. What he doesn’t have is the experience that Carlos will bring, but he did a remarkable job.”
“I think from the point of view of not only driving the car, but also driving the team, we will have the best team on the grid. That will help motivate us and push us forward. Good developments are ongoing, with continuity from 2024 to 2025.”
Vowels’ assertion stems from Sainz’s record against strong teammates.
Sainz outperformed Norris during his two years at McLaren, while he finished ahead of Leclerc in 2021 at Ferrari.
“Yes, that’s my opinion on that. And I’m going to explain some of the reasons behind that to a certain extent. They’re all performing at a very high level. Carlos has driven against all the drivers we’ve just speak against Lando, he succeeded.”
“Against Charles, ups and downs. But he is there or thereabouts. There is practically nothing between these two drivers. Against Max, in this first year at Toro Rosso, he was exceptional against him. “
“So it’s not like he hasn’t been challenged throughout his career. He’s been challenged all the time and held his own. But it’s not just about that that I base it on. It’s not just in the car, it’s out of the car.”
“From what little I know about him, he moves the team forward. He wants to dedicate every minute of his time to making his team more and more efficient. And it’s a personality that isn’t necessarily present in everyone the world on the grid.”
“My job is to make this organization a prosperous organization. And for that I need everyone to tell me, at their level, what more we can do. And that’s what I’m waiting for with impatience on the part of Carlos And Alex (Albon) is built in the same way.
“This is why we will have the two best drivers in F1 in 2025.”
