Carlos Sainz, secret agent? The Spanish driver admitted that during an impressive run in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he was on a covert mission for his new team.

Well, perhaps it wasn’t quite as mysterious as it sounds – but Sainz was certainly preparing himself for his new future with Williams.

Carlos Sainz “needs to remember” why Ferrari was quick

Carlos Sainz has known his time with Scuderia Ferrari was waning all year long after the team announced he’d be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

The Spanish driver agonized over potential contracts as open seats slowly filled up before finally signing on with Williams for the coming season — a downgrade from the team he’s been with for the past few years.

Sainz was determined to finish the year in style, and he certainly did by securing second place in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — but after the race, he revealed in the official FIA press conference that his head was elsewhere.

“I’m not gonna lie: My last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, ‘Remember how this feels,’ because tomorrow and Tuesday I need to remember: Why is this car so quick in this corner, and why does it feel good?” Sainz confessed.

Though Ferrari wasn’t perfect this season, the marque got ever closer to the World Constructors’ Championship as the year passed and, though it didn’t quite clinch it, the team’s performance was impressive.

Critically, Ferrari’s performance differed strongly from that of Williams, the team Sainz will begin running with this week as post-season testing gets underway.

“I know probably what I’m gonna find tomorrow and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement that I was feeling in the car,” Sainz elaborated in the press conference.

“So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead. I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me.

“Today is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”

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Sainz is optimistic for his future with Williams, but that doesn’t mean he’s not realistic as well. When asked in the press conference if he foresees podiums with Williams in the future, he shied away from responding.

“This is a question I cannot answer,” he said.

“It is impossible to predict the future, and first of all to know how long it’s going to take me and Williams to be back fighting for podium positions.

“I think James [Vowles] said it the other day and calmed everyone’s expectations, that next year is going to be a tough year and a learning year before we prepare for the change of regulations in ’26, where I believe the team is investing and the team is preparing to maximize that chance.”

And Sainz feels like he’ll be a critical part of that equation.

“What I can tell you is that I’m as determined as ever to help this team to be back where it belongs,” he said.

“I personally feel like I belong to be fighting for wins, podiums, and top fives in Formula 1. I think I’ve proven this, these last four years as a driver. I think I belong to that.

“But Williams also belongs to fighting for this top five and podium places, and together with the determination and the strength that I think we’re going to show together, the target is to get Williams and myself fighting for those positions in the near future.

“How long is that going to take? I cannot tell you.”

Sainz also made it extremely clear that he’s highly passionate about Williams, and that he’s truly looking forward to the challenge of transforming the team into one on a consistent path of improvement.

“I know that’s one of my qualities, to help the team to perform better and to know which directions to follow,” he said, “and that actually motivates me having a full team behind Alex [Albon] and me pushing all in the same direction to make a historic team like Williams competitive again.

“It is a challenge that — it’s tough to explain, but some people don’t understand how much I’m actually looking forward to it.”

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