Williams boss reveals Singapore GP reality despite Carlos Sainz prediction
James Vowles is full of praise for Carlos Sainz as the Williams team looks ahead to Singapore.
Carlos Sainz will be entering these final races in the 2025 season with a pep in his step thanks to his podium in Baku, says Williams team principal James Vowles. But that’s not guaranteed that Singapore will come with a comfortable result.
Vowles admitted that the Marina Bay street circuit has presented quite a challenge for Williams in the past, but that there are countless races soon after where the team can illustrate its podium-worthy pace.
Carlos Sainz should be positive, but Singapore not the place for Williams to shine
The Williams Racing team erupted with joy when the checkered flag flew at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, signaling as it did a genuinely impressive third-place finish for driver Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard hasn’t had an easy time making the transition from Ferrari to Williams this year, with bad luck, errors, or poor execution often preventing him from accessing his true pace as a competitor. He’s been adamant that a clean weekend is all Williams would need to flaunt its performance.
Conditions were finally right in Baku. Sainz snagged provisional pole in qualifying as one of only three drivers to post a time in between two red-flag periods, and his pace could only be outshone by reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
In the race itself, the Williams was able to hold onto a third place, giving the team its first podium finish in a full-length grand prix since Baku in 2017.
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But Williams team principal James Vowles believes that Baku pace won’t necessarily translate to the sport’s next outing at Singapore.
“What we’ve shown, I think, all season long, is we can fight near enough for points everywhere — with some exceptions,” Vowles admitted to C4 following the race.
“I think Singapore is gonna be tricky. I’ve been open and honest about that all the way through, but I think past that point, we’ve got some really great races coming our way.”
Further, he’s of the opinion that Carlos Sainz should carry an immense amount of pride for with him for his Baku performance, which he should use to bolster himself moving forward.
“I think it’s hugely important,” Vowles told C4 of the podium finish.
“There really is positive momentum. I believe in positive momentum.
“And for Carlos, this gives him a foundation and a stepping stone. You’ll see a bounce in his step going forward to all the future races.
“For us as a team, it’s a taste of success, where we earned today. This wasn’t fortune or luck. You saw the car pace was actually good, in a circumstance — not as good as Mercedes, but it’s not in a bad position, which is what earned us that podium.
“And that’s what I want for this team. I want to not have fortune on that side, but earn every position we have from here onwards.”
As former motorsport strategy director for Mercedes, Vowles admitted that “I’ve had the fortune in my career to have quite a few podiums.” However, the one in Baku “will really stay with me forever, because it’s one that we earned as a team — a team that, just being transparent, we haven’t been there the last few years.
“We’ve been last or close to, and we’ve fought back into this position now, and Carlos didn’t put a foot wrong all race, just an exceptional drive from start to finish. It was brilliant to watch.”
He later continued, “I cannot wait for the moment on Monday where we take the trophy back to the factory and just hear the roof blow off the place, because that will be what means everything to me.
“It’s the reward for the 1,000 people that are dedicating their lives to me and to this team, and it’s a ‘thank you’ to them.”
After Singapore, the Formula 1 circus will head to Circuit of the Americas and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, followed by Interlagos and a triple-header that takes the field through Las Vegas, Qatar, and the Abu Dhabi season finale.
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