Guenther Steiner, an Italian TV presenter from F1 RTL, issued a warning to James Vowles, head of Williams Formula 1, suggesting that his attempts to hire Adrian Newey and Carlos Sainz could backfire and make him look foolish. Last month, Red Bull announced that Newey, a renowned designer, would be leaving his long-standing position in March, leading to speculation that he could join Ferrari. However, Vowles revealed in Miami that he had started talks with Newey about a possible return to Williams, with whom he had success from 1991 to 1996. Additionally, Vowles is currently considering potential candidates to partner with Alex Albon in 2025, and it was revealed that negotiations are ongoing with Sainz. Sainz, who will lose his current seat at Ferrari to Lewis Hamilton next season, reportedly has an offer from Audi’s upcoming venture. Steiner doubts Vowles’ decision to make these negotiations public, suggesting that Ferrari and Mercedes colleagues would handle such matters with more discretion. Steiner expressed skepticism about the rumors surrounding Newey and criticized Vowles for openly discussing them. He believes that before making such statements, someone should be more certain of their accuracy. Steiner also questioned whether Newey would actually choose to join Williams, considering the numerous opportunities available to him. He speculated that perhaps Williams had made a unique offer that other teams cannot match, such as partial team ownership.
The former Haas team leader also warned that the possible arrival of Newey and Sainz would not guarantee immediate success for the Grove-based team.
He added: “If you only recover after a period of failure, what is there to gain when you admit that this is what you wanted to achieve, but failed?”
“The only thing that really matters is the results. This applies not only to Formula 1, but to life in general. You can talk a lot, but never act.”
“Maybe James will achieve everything and become the World Champion next year, which I would be fine with. It would certainly make Formula 1 more interesting.”
“It’s hard to predict this outcome and if I were a betting person, I wouldn’t put my money on it.”
“As a team leader, you always get involved in conversations with people. However, with some people, it’s just an exchange of ideas and information.”
“This doesn’t mean that Carlos Sainz begged for a spot on the team. It’s just right that James asks if Carlos is interested in joining Williams and have a discussion about it.”
“Fred and Toto talk to everyone. They talk to sponsors and big companies.”
“But you don’t want to make it public, because if it doesn’t happen, you end up looking foolish.”
“Maybe we’ll be surprised and Carlos and Adrian sign in the next few weeks. I would be fine with that.”
