The loss of Newey back in the late ‘90s was the beginning of a long, slow decline for Williams. There were many shortcomings there other than just the absence of Adrian. But had he remained there maybe these would have been addressed. Especially if his request for a shareholding in the team had not been dismissed by Frank Williams and Patrick Head.
So when the threads of history are followed back to their source, the release of Damon all those years ago played its part in there being an opportunity for Newey to return there – and for Sainz to be rescued from the exact same situation Damon was placed in.
From an external perspective it may be difficult to understand why Sainz would even be considering a Williams drive when he is being courted by Audi, a big-budget automotive team. But the nitty-gritty behind the scenes can look quite different to general perception. Vowles is conducting an aggressive marketing campaign in an attempt at turbocharging his recruitment campaign. At every opportunity he is telling the world that this team now has no budgetary concerns, that it is being totally transformed into a modern cutting-edge F1 team after years of under-investment, that a lot of high-calibre people have already committed to join. That this is not the Williams team of the last few years, but one with the foundations of a return to the glory years, back when it allowed Damon Hill to stand at the very summit of the sport. Imagine if both Newey and Sainz bought into that. Would that not be genuinely exciting?