Vowles reveals a strategic meeting with Sainz before his podium in Baku

The bad streak of Carlos Sainz with Williams ended in Baku, and what a way to do it. The first podium of the Spanish driver with the British team was, moreover, the first for Grove in more than four years. But, above all, it represents a turning point for a Sainz who has become desperate this season.

The most frustrating thing for Williams and their star driver is that, unlike what happens to Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, the problem has not been his performance or speed, but a series of circumstances that have prevented translating that into tangible results.

"I’m not surprised it came this weekend, because that was the mindset I had from the beginning"

Vowles meets with Sainz

James Vowles, director of the Williams team, has been fully aware of this at all times. He did not have a slow driver or one unable to adapt to the car, but a competitor in good shape to whom things went wrong every weekend.

With the aim of preventing Sainz from becoming demotivated or frustrated to the point of starting to lose his speed, the Brit organized a dinner in Baku, just before the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. And the truth is that it could not have been more timely.

"Carlos and I have a very good relationship where we talk very frankly and openly about what is happening, what is going wrong and what is going well, and how we can leverage it together," James Vowles begins to explain.

"We had dinner here on Thursday [in Baku], which was basically a reset point: 'What will we do in the future? How can I help? And how do we do this?'" he adds next.

Injection of optimism

It cannot be said that the problem of Carlos Sainz was his mentality or approach to competing, but James Vowles wanted to ensure that he did everything possible to provide his driver with all the support and optimism possible. Or, in other words, to reassure him and let him know that Williams still trusted 100% in his ability, no matter how much the overall standings did not reflect it.

"Carlos was very positive at that moment. And I’m not surprised it came this weekend, because that was the mindset I had from the beginning," adds James Vowles regarding the meeting between the two.

"And the real key is this: his performance has always been there. If you haven’t had a good performance, it becomes really difficult, and it’s very hard to point to one thing, because many things have happened throughout the season," concludes the British engineer.

Now, Williams hopes to enjoy a new Sainz starting from Singapore. One just as fast, but more capable of achieving the results he deserves.

Fotos: Williams Racing