James Vowles Prepares for Carlos Sainz Failure Contingency, as F1 Expert Predicts Details of Rumored 4-Year Deal

Williams is hunting lost glory, and their plan hinges on Carlos Sainz joining them in 2025. Team Principal James Vowles has high ambitions and has promised “big names” being signed by the legacy team. Though Sainz isn’t confirmed as one of them, the possibility of him joining Williams over Audi is high. But what happens if the Ferrari driver slackens in the way Sergio Perez did two years after joining Red Bull? This is where the exit clause comes in.

As of today, Carlos Sainz has the highest leverage in the driver market, but team options have been reduced, with the frontrunners showing no interest in signing him. James Vowles has exploited this opportunity, heaping praise on the Spaniard and declaring him Williams’ “number one target.” AmuS even divulged details of Sainz’s 4-year Williams contract offer. Vowles reportedly structured the deal in a 2+2 year format, with Sainz having the option to exit after 2026 if Williams doesn’t hit the promised targets.

However, Vowles is unlikely to give such power to a driver, considering how he positions the team’s results above everything. Even the best of drivers can have a slump. This makes F1 expert Richard Ready predict a two-way exit clause in case Sainz fails to meet Williams’ expectations. “I think it’ll be 2+2 on both sides,” Ready said on the Missed Apex podcast. “That way, if Carlos suddenly goes to sleep and does a (Sergio) Perez, he could be slung out halfway through.“

Though the Perez analogy is a sad reflection of what the Red Bull driver is going through, Williams might well be hedging their options with Sainz. Though the Spaniard has shown his worth with three wins with Ferrari, he finds himself in an unpleasant spot.

Gerhard Berger laments Carlos Sainz’s “sad” predicament

The Tifosi accepted Carlos Sainz, but Ferrari discarded him for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. He did everything right to make him the top driver to sign in the driver market. But that too has slipped out of his hands. A struggling Williams and a yet-to-enter Audi are his only options. Former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger has sympathized with Sainz, who is caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Very sad,” Berger told BILD about Sainz’s career situation. “I feel a bit sorry for him because he is almost equal to Leclerc. But Ferrari has chosen Hamilton, who should provide new dynamism. For him (Sainz), it is hugely difficult because there is no good option available at the moment.”

Alpine could be Sainz’s third option, but that too would point to struggling times to come. Maybe because there are no good options, the Spaniard is choosing to focus on his current performance over any talks of 2025. In the end, Williams remains his best option.