Williams team principal James Vowles admits that the heavy damage sustained to Carlos Sainz’s car during the Monaco Grand Prix will force the team to rebuild its stockpile of spare parts.
Sainz was running in a strong points-scoring position on the streets of Monte Carlo before his race was abruptly ended. The Spaniard was struck by Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto, resulting in his immediate retirement that robbed Williams of a double-points finish alongside team-mate Alex Albon.
Speaking in The Vowles Verdict, Vowles shed light on the costly aftermath of the incident, particularly with the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix just days away.
“Carlos was there in a point-scoring position. He didn’t put a foot wrong and, through no fault of his own, ended up with a DNF. Hit actually by two cars, and that has a double whammy.
“Not just that we lost points in Monaco, but the damage was actually substantial, which will take us a little bit of time to make sure we get back on our spares. Obviously, we have Barcelona coming up in just a few days’ time.
“And really, for us, it is tough when you’re in the heat of the moment. When you’re there in Monaco, same for the drivers, you’re absolutely caught up in what you’re doing. And when you walk away with no points as a result of it, it’s devastating.
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“You know that you had the pace performance and you haven’t done anything wrong to achieve it. It’s motor racing, though.”
He added: “The way we have to deal with it is the following. If you carry that emotion through any more than a few hours after the race, it means that you’re looking back.
“You’re not looking forward. It’s happened. There’s nothing you or I or anyone can do to change that at a point. And our only focus right now should be how do we come back in Barcelona with a stronger package, stronger car, and go on to deliver more performance.
“The way to emotionally deal with it is by all means, let yourself have a minute or two of frustration and compartmentalise it. Determine whether there is anything that we should have done differently and move on.”
