Vowles surprised Red Bull and Mercedes did not chase Sainz

Williams boss James Vowles said he was surprised top Formula One teams Red Bull and Mercedes had not signed Carlos Sainz before he sealed a deal that started with a discussion in Abu Dhabi last November.

The former champions announced on Monday, a day after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, that triple race winner Sainz had signed for Williams in 2025 and 2026 with options to extend.

"I rate him as one of the top four drivers if not, at times, the number two driver on the grid. Why wouldn’t you want that in your stable," Vowles told reporters on a video call on Tuesday.

"Look at every team he has been in. They have improved significantly. And I get why, after spending the last nine months talking to him at least weekly if not daily.

"What I’ve realised with him is that he is a performance machine. He absolutely will do everything it takes within his power to not transform just himself, but the team around him as well at the same time."

Vowles said he would have Sainz alongside triple world champion Max Verstappen instead of Sergio Perez if he was in charge of Red Bull, whose advantage in the standings is being whittled away by McLaren.

Verstappen has won seven times this season while Perez has struggled.

Mercedes are expected to go for youth, with young Italian protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli set to replace seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Talks between Vowles and Sainz started long before Hamilton decided to leave Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025.

Vowles said it had been a rollercoaster journey, with secret meetings in hotel rooms around the world.

"From the beginning I gave him, warts and all, here's what's going to happen," he said. "We are going to go backwards, here's why, here's what we are investing in,