Williams team boss James Vowles admitted he was surprised that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes wanted to sign Carlos Sainz for the 2025 season. (More Motorsport News)
The Spaniard signed a two-year contract with the option to extend at Williams earlier this week, ending speculation surrounding his future.
Ferrari had confirmed earlier this year that he would not continue with them past the end of the season, having signed Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes to partner Charles Leclerc.
While Sainz was initially seen as a candidate to replace Hamilton, Mercedes look set to promote 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli instead, while Red Bull preferred to extend Sergio Perez's contract for the next two years.
Vowles was full of praise for the 29-year-old, explaining how it was an easy choice to bring him into the team.
"Look at Carlos," said Vowles. "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, what I've realised is he is a performance machine.
"He will do everything in his power to transform himself and the team around him. And that's powerful. That's worth more than what he can drive the car at.
[He is] 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?"
Sainz has achieved three Formula 1 wins to date, including a victory at the Australian Grand Prix in March, and currently sits fifth in the drivers' championship.
He is only 15 points behind team-mate Leclerc, who sits in third, while his five podium finishes this season have also helped Ferrari to third in the constructors' championship, where they sit 63 points behind leaders Red Bull.
There is speculation that Mercedes could make a swoop for Max Verstappen for the 2026 season, despite his Red Bull contract running until 2028.
With so many F1 futures up in the air, Vowles was surprised to find out there was not more interest in their new driver.
"Red Bull have a constructors' championship at risk - I would have Carlos alongside Max [rather than Perez]," he added.
"Mercedes have more info than I do. It's more than likely that they are very confident in the direction they will be travelling in. Whether that will be Max or Kimi, I'm unsure - but they're not fools.
"Red Bull will also have reasons behind it that I won't be aware of because they are multiple world champions. They don't make decisions lightly, but I was surprised."
