Former colleague of Sainz advertises him to Vowles: 'Sounds excellent'

"I think he's a great driver. Carlos is an interesting driver, not only for the qualities that James said and that led him to be a race winner. But in particular, I would highlight that he's a very rational driver," Andrea Stella pointed out one of the best qualities of his former colleague.

The McLaren team principal also explained what Sainz could bring to the table for a team. "He needs to create a plan in his head, around what is the fastest way in a lap? What is the fastest way of racing? He adds a lot of rationality to his instinct. The importance is that when you have this rational elaboration, it's also easy to communicate. Then it becomes a big asset for the team. Because what he's processing, what he's seeing as an opportunity, or what he's seeing as a problem, it becomes very clear for the team, it's very well communicated, and we can do something about it."

"So I think, for us, it's been definitely one of the leading variables in the development of the team, because of these characteristics," Stella underlined how the three-time Grand Prix winner helped McLaren.

Vowles reacts

It's no secret that James Vowles is pushing to sign Sainz for his team, Williams. The British team principal also reacted to Stella's summary by saying: "Sounds excellent, doesn't it?"

With the door for Carlos Sainz finally closed at Red Bull Racing, the options for the Spaniard leaving Ferrari are limited. Audi and Williams want to sign him for 2025, with the latter team appearing to favour Sainz for the time being. Vowles explained on Friday that it's no surprise that a driver of Sainz's calibre is considering a move to the once-successful team at all.