Williams needed “a leader, not just someone quick

In brief

Sainz improves his teams – Vowles

Vowles expects Sainz to use his 10 years of experience in Formula 1 to help lead Williams back to the front when he joins next year.

“I needed a leader, not just someone who is quick in the car,” he told the official F1 channel. “I wanted everything around them to be just right in order to create performance. Carlos has that.”

Sainz will join the team from Ferrari, having previously also driven for McLaren, Renault (now Alpine) and Toro Rosso (now RB). “If you look at every team he’s gone to – look at where they started and where they finished,” said Vowles. “You’ll see he has a history of ending in a much better place in the team than when he started.”

Vowles first met Sainz’s family in secret at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, before the news broke that Lewis Hamilton would replace him at Ferrari.

“What I [was] doing is making sure they are aware we’re serious about moving back towards the front and here we are – and get to know me,” Vowles explained. “Then the news struck with Lewis, which caught me off-guard, and caught Carlos off-guard at the same time. So, I started the normal negotiation procedure.”

Vandoorne and Hughes join Maserati

Maserati has confirmed an all-new driver line-up for the 2024-25 Formula E season. Stoffel Vandoorne will join the team from DS Penske alongside Jake Hughes, who arrives from McLaren.

The teams said it “extends its sincere thanks to Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala for their incredible contribution to the team” this year.

F1 forms closer ties to Las Vegas

Formula 1 has entered into a partnership deal with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which it worked with to set up the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The LVCVA will use F1 to promote tourism to the Las Vegas area.

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