James Vowles claims Williams will have “best driver line up on the grid” in F1 2025

James Vowles has made a surprising claim that Williams will have the best F1 driver line-up on the grid in 2025.

Williams have signed Carlos Sainz for next year, putting him alongside Alex Albon.

It’s a bold claim by Vowles given Ferrari will have Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, while McLaren have retained Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Vowels said:  “In ’25, I think we will have the best driver lineup on the grid. I mean, Franco’s doing a brilliant job. What he doesn’t have is the experience that Carlos will come with, but he’s doing an outstanding job.

“I think from the perspective of not just driving the car, but leading the team forward, we’ll have the best line-up on the grid. That will help motivate and push us forward. There’s good developments ongoing, just as a continuation of ’24 to ’25.”

Vowels’ claim stems from Sainz’s respectable record against strong teammates.

Sainz out-scored Norris in his two years at McLaren, while he finished ahead of Leclerc in 2021 at Ferrari

“That’s my opinion of it. And I’ll explain some of the reasons behind it to a certain extent,” Vowles added. “A, they’re both performing at a very high level. I mean, Carlos has driven against all of the drivers we’ve just discussed.  Against Lando, he was successful.

“Against Charles, up and down. But he’s there or thereabouts. There’s hardly anything between those two drivers.  Against Max, in that first year in Toro Rosso, [he] was exceptional against him.

“So it’s not that he hasn’t been challenged throughout his career. He’s been challenged all the way through and held his own.  But it’s not just that that I’m basing it on. It’s not in the car, it’s out the car.

“In the short space of time that I’ve got to know him properly, he drives the team forward. He wants to spend every minute of his time that he can do to make this team more and more successful.  And that’s a combination that is not necessarily available up and down the grid.

“What I mean by that is not just getting the car. That’s not my job. My job is I want this to be a successful organisation. Tell me what more we can do.  And that’s what I’m looking forward to. And Alex is built the same way.”