Vowles concedes Williams' Canadian GP strategy was flawed despite Sainz's points recovery

Williams team principal James Vowles has conceded that his team’s strategic decisions during the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal were “not right or perfect”, even as Carlos Sainz recovered from the errors to finish ninth and collect two championship points. Alex Albon, meanwhile, retired after a collision with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri ended his race prematurely.

The team opted to start both drivers on intermediate tyres as rain fell on the grid, but when the anticipated downpour failed to materialise, Williams were forced into an early switch to slick rubber. Vowles acknowledged that the timing of that transition, and the choices made around it, did not go as planned.

“The conditions started to dry quicker than anticipated,” Vowles explained. “The radar wasn’t entirely accurate, and it was hard to know where more rain was coming in. But at the point where the rain stopped, that was the point where we knew it was going to transition quickly. You’ve got two choices — do you come straight away in under one of those formation laps, or do you stay out and try and maximise at least some of the benefit? The decisions we made weren’t right or perfect at all.”

Vowles suggested that Sainz’s grid position of 15th could actually have been an advantage in the damp opening conditions, with the potential to gain significant time on rivals in those early laps. Instead, the early switch to slicks left Sainz struggling for tyre temperature as light rain continued to fall.

Despite the strategic missteps, Vowles was full of praise for Sainz’s response. The Spaniard fought back through the field and capitalised on a Virtual Safety Car period to switch to medium tyres, which he ran to the end of the race. “When we stopped Carlos, he did an absolutely brilliant job fighting back up through the order,” Vowles said.

For Albon, the race ended in frustration. Vowles backed the Thai-British driver’s performance before the incident, noting that his car pace had been strong and represented genuine progress for the team. “Alex was performing very well until he was unfortunately taken out by Piastri, who just came from too far back, and the damage was extensive,” Vowles said. “His car pace was good, and that’s obviously one of the most important aspects.”

The net result leaves Williams with a modest two-point haul from Canada — a return Vowles clearly believes should have been higher, but one he is using as a learning point rather than a crisis.