Steiner 'didn't expect' landmark Williams Sainz hiring

Guenther Steiner has expressed his surprise at Williams capturing Carlos Sainz to its F1 team. 

The long saga of Sainz's future was cleared up on the first day of the F1 summer break when three-time grand prix winner Sainz announced he had chosen Williams as his next destination, having lost his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton. 

He will join Alex Albon on a multi-year deal from 2025, with Logan Sargeant making way, with James Vowles fending off interest from the likes of Stake/Audi and Alpine for Sainz's services.

Reflecting on the move, former Haas F1 boss Steiner conceded he was taken aback by Sainz's decision.

"I think that they have one of the best driver pairings in Formula 1," Steiner explained on the RacingNews365 podcast. 

"Alex and Carlos are very good in my opinion and I respect them both, but I did not expect that Carlos would go there. 

"Because you can see that this year, the Williams is not [as competitive] as it was supposed to be and we need to be honest about that. 

"But obviously James has convinced Alex to stay and Carlos to come with what he is telling them is in the pipeline. 

"I have no idea what he said, but I was very surprised that Carlos picked Williams if he had doors open to Alpine and Audi, because they are manufacturer teams. 

"Normally, a good guy will go for a manufacturer team, but obviously James has told him something to convince Carlos and Carlos went there."

Steiner's Vowles praise

Steiner also heaped praise on Vowles for his ability to secure the services of Sainz, set to become the first grand prix winner to move to Williams since Robert Kubica in 2019.

"I would have done the same like James as if you want to improve a team which is struggling at the moment, the best [option] is to have two experienced drivers, who are known quantities," Steiner added.

"Logan had two years, and it doesn't seem to have worked out, so at some stage, you need to make changes.

"I fully admire that he got Carlos signed being in competition with two works teams that wanted to hire him."