Sainz a 'big fan' of Vowles amid Williams' signature pursuit

Carlos Sainz has asserted he is a “big fan” of James Vowles amid the Williams boss' public pursuit of his signature.

Sainz, who leaves Ferrari at the end of the season when he will be replaced by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, has still not put pen to paper on a contract for a drive for the 2025 F1 campaign.

Williams has outlined its desire to bring the three-time grand prix winner to the team to partner Alex Albon next year.

Vowles recently indicated his team was in the best position to bring Sainz on board with several options believed to be available to the Spaniard.

When asked about Williams' pursuit of his services, Sainz told media including RacingNews365: “I think Williams has always been in a good place.

“So have the other teams because as you guys know, it's not that I'm limited on options. We'll see.

“James has been very vocal about wanting me at Williams. I’m a big fan of his and his work ethic and the way that he's pushing the team forward. 

“It's no secret that I get on very well with James. Whether he's being optimistic or not, I’ll keep that to myself.”

Sainz thanks teams for patience

Alpine is also believed to be chasing Sainz, while the 29-year-old has long been linked with a switch to Sauber, which becomes Audi in 2026.

With the driver market waiting for Sainz to make a decision, he thanked the teams for their patience.

“It's a privilege to be so well regarded by these teams and have such positive feedback from them,” he said.

“I feel honoured to have this positive will from these teams. I can only thank them for their patience and their willingness to sign me but it's been a very complex driver market, a very complex situation.

“That's why I've been waiting and seeing how everything was panning out. And as you guys see every week, it has given me the feeling that I've been doing the right thing to wait because every week, you know something different about each team.

“So even though I see some fans and media getting impatient and [asking] why is he waiting so long, when you look at the market and when you look at each team, all the changes that have been in every team, it clearly shows that waiting was exactly the right thing to do. 

“The more I've been waiting, the more information I was getting from each team.”