Photo: RacePictures.

Williams F1 team boss vows revenge following deliberate Qatar GP chaos

21:30, 02 Dec

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byNorberto Mujica

James Vowles was knocked to the ground by Carlos Sainz.

Carlos Sainz celebrates with Alex Albon and the Williams garage. Photo: RacePictures

But not by the driver who's already finished on the podium three times in his first season with the team, but by his cousing who also operates as the Spanish F1 driver's manager, and who just so happens to bear the same name.

Although the race winner's tenure at Williams sparked many questions due to the lack of results - and teammate Alexander Albon's superior form at the time - as the season went on the Sainz was able to integrate himself fully with the car, leading to a P3 finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which he followed up with another P3 at the Sprint race in Austin, Texas.

After which a thrid place in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix would follow, capped off by another podium finish behind Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in Qatar last weekend.

During the celebrations, though, chaos ensued, and Vowles was forced to run as if his life depended on it in a bid to avoid a traditional - and much dreaded - celebration: the champagne shower.

"So, the trick behind all of these [is], you sit down, look left and right and find the people with the champagne bottles, because they are the ones you sprint away from at speed," Vowles revealed in a video posted on Williams' official X account.

'Caco' Sainz tripped up Vowles, who vows revenge

"On this particular occasion, Caco [Carlos Sainz' manager and cousing] had already prepared for that," the British team boss revealed. "So, Carlos Sainz' manager, also called Carlos Sainz just to make my life better, he prepared for that.

"[He] knew I was going to sprint and he started sprinting in advance and he really did trip me up. And I couldn't see a damn thing because he had two champagne bottles poured into my eyes and that's all I remember.

"And then he said, 'Why did you run?' and I was like: 'This is why I run, to avoid this'," Vowles confessed. "Anyway, I'm good as it turns out. No damage done. And I will have my revenge,I assure you, on him at some point," the Williams team principal concluded.

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