Vowles: Sainz Qatar podium and team’s P5 a ‘dream come true’

Williams team principal James Vowles has described Carlos Sainz’s brilliant podium in Qatar, that sealed the team’s fifth place in F1’s 2025 Constructors’ Championship, as nothing short of a “dream come true.”

A flawless display by the Spaniard paired with Williams’ impeccable execution delivered 15 points to the team, placing the Grove-based outfit out of reach of its rivals in the standings with just one race to go.

Reflecting on the weekend, Vowles praised Sainz and the team’s work throughout the season.

“Exceptional. Really fantastic performance from Carlos and the team when it counted and every detail adds up,” commented the Williams chief.

“Getting on the podium by milliseconds really is such a just reward for the incredible work the whole team is putting in this year.

“I was proud of Carlos and the team when we got our first podium in Baku; the second is a dream come true, but perhaps more importantly at a track that was almost our worst last year. And we've come back, we've reinvented ourselves and the result is there for everyone to see.”

Vowles highlighted the remarkable turnaround from 2024, when Williams finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 17 points.

This year, the team has racked up 137 points thanks to Sainz and Alex Albon’s combined efforts.

“Finally, fifth would have been a dream come true just 12 months ago when we were languishing in ninth in the constructors' championship. Thank you very much,” Vowles added.

Albon’s Contribution Not Overlooked

Vowles was quick to emphasize that Albon’s consistent performances were critical to the team’s success, even if he didn’t score points in Qatar.

“For Alex, we will come back fighting in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

“We haven't got it all together this weekend, but I'll reiterate that his performance across the season is why we've secured fifth in the constructors' championship today. And more so than that, his pace is still there. We just need to bring it all together.”

Albon himself praised Sainz and the team while reflecting on his own race.

“Starting on the hards today, we were planning on trying to benefit from some clean air with those tyres, but the safety car happened early on and we had to pivot strategies,” he explained.

“Having started on the hards, we were out of position and had to finish the race on mediums which wasn’t ideal for our strategy. We maybe didn’t have the pace to get through all the cars in front, but I think we left something on the table as we had a good car today, as Carlos demonstrated as well.

• Read also: Sainz grabs brilliant podium for Williams in Qatar despite late scare

The team secured P5 in the constructors’ championship which is massive – a big, huge well done to everyone on the team as this was a big step forward for us this year and something that we should all be proud of.”

Williams can now head into Abu Dhabi on a high, celebrating a season of reinvention and teamwork, with Sainz’s podiums and Albon’s steady performances having brought the team back into the upper echelon of Formula 1

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