A "reset" dinner fuels Sainz's Baku breakthrough
Williams team principal James Vowles has revealed that a candid dinner with Carlos Sainz on media day in Baku served as a "reset point" before the Spaniard produced his best weekend with the team. In tricky conditions, Sainz was on provisional pole for much of Q3, ultimately qualifying second before converting to a hard-fought third place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The performance ended a difficult streak for Sainz, who had not scored since Canada, and snapped a six-race run without finishing in the top 10. "He and I have a really good relationship where we talk candidly about what's going on, what's going wrong, what's going right, and how we capitalise on it together," Vowles told The Race. "We had dinner on Thursday, basically a reset point: what do we do going forward, how can I help, and how do we do this? Carlos was in a great place at that point."
Turning a page in the midfield fight
Moving from Ferrari to Williams was always going to be a challenge for the 31-year-old, with the realities of a midfield car and a season where luck hasn’t always fallen his way. Despite that, Sainz’s form in Baku showed the underlying pace Vowles insists has never disappeared.
Vowles tempers expectations
Even after the podium high, the Williams camp has been careful not to let expectations run away. Vowles has struck a pragmatic tone about the road ahead, warning that consistency and track-to-track variability will define what comes next for both team and driver. The message is clear: Baku is a platform to build on, not a promise that every weekend will look the same.
A timely confidence boost
With Alex Albon having largely had the upper hand across the campaign, Sainz’s surge provides Williams with renewed momentum as the season enters its decisive phase. The real test now lies in maintaining this level across different circuits and conditions.
