Vowles praises ‘extra strategist’ Sainz for his role in Albon’s impressive top-five finish at Albert Park

As well as heaping praise on Alex Albon, Williams team boss James Vowles praised Carlos Sainz’s input after the squad kicked off their 2025 season with a strong points finish at the Australian Grand Prix.

Williams’ Sunday afternoon got off to a bad start when Sainz crashed out under an early Safety Car period, having reported a “massive power surge” over the radio – leaving Albon as their only driver for the remainder of the race.

READ MORE: Norris beats Verstappen to victory in dramatic Australian GP opener amid late-race chaos

However, rather than simply watching on from the paddock, Sainz took up a spot in the Williams garage and shared his insight through the wet-dry-wet encounter, aiding Albon’s charge to a brilliant top-five finish.

Albon had inherited fourth after the chequered flag due to a penalty for Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli, but ultimately classified P5 when that sanction was overturned by the stewards post-race.

Reflecting on Williams’ achievement, Vowles told Sky Sports F1: “No result is the result of one person, it is a team coming together. The pit stops were on point, the strategy… Well done to them today.

“One point to note on the strategy is there was an additional strategist today, which was Carlos. Carlos, his insight was incredibly useful on that transition to the intermediate [tyres].

READ MORE: ‘I’ve only got myself to blame’ – Piastri opens up on heartbreak after costly Australian Grand Prix error

“We saw other teams not sure, ‘Do we try and hang it out, can we try and hang it out?’, and Carlos was adamant, ‘You won’t survive on that through the last few corners’. He was spot on, and helped drive us towards that.

“I’m just incredibly proud over the last 12 months in how this team has grown and performed, and I think today’s result is reward for them.”

He added: “The way Alex and Carlos are in the team, they are leaders trying to drive our organisation forward. We are here all together to get the best results we can for Williams.”

Vowles also shared a few words on Sainz’s early-race incident and retirement at the final corner, with the Spaniard in contention for points at that stage.

“It’s still slightly odd, so we need to go through it more, but effectively it was just an upshift and onto throttle, but there was more torque than he expected at that point,” said Vowles.

READ MORE: Hamilton rues ‘missed opportunity’ on Ferrari debut after ‘very, very tricky’ race in Australia

“It was tricky out there. It was in a region where there are a lot of white lines on the ground, which probably accentuated the issue, but you have to remember, he is an expert driver, and Alex will attest to this: it was a fine line.”

Williams’ points haul puts them fourth in the Teams’ Championship ahead of next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, with the outfit aiming to improve on their P9 finish in last year’s standings.

DISCOVER MORE...

Hamilton charges to pole over Verstappen and Piastri during Sprint Qualifying thriller in China

HIGHLIGHTS: Hamilton bags surprise Sprint Qualifying pole ahead of Verstappen

Hamilton left ‘gobsmacked’ after ‘incredible’ Sprint Qualifying pole in China

Norris laments scruffy SQ3 in China with McLaren ‘too difficult to drive’

F1 FANTASY: Strategist Selection – What’s the best line-up for the Chinese Grand Prix?