Williams were faster than Ferrari on pure merit at the Miami Grand Prix, and it appears the signing of Carlos Sainz is already beginning to bear fruit.
Both Williams cars finished the race in the top nine, with Alex Albon managing a heroic fifth place, just 10 seconds behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Sainz was the lead driver throughout much of the first stint, before his teammate overtook him. Soon after, he fell behind both Ferrari drivers.
His Miami Grand Prix ended in chaotic fashion with a desperate lunge on Lewis Hamilton on the final lap, which saw him summoned to the stewards, but cleared with no further investigation.
Jenson Button noticed a Sainz change in the Sunshine State and thinks that the Spaniard has improved in qualifying.
The event marked his sixth Formula 1 outing for his new team, and although it has taken time to adjust, F1 fans are finally impressed with the superb Sainz.
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Carlos Sainz is bringing fundamental changes to Williams after beating Ferrari at the Miami Grand Prix
Finishing ninth in Miami may actually have been a disappointing result for Sainz. His teammate earned eight more points for being just 12 seconds up the road.
Take into consideration that the Ferrari cars held him up a great deal, and his performance deserved more merit than it will receive. Sainz wants to replicate Alain Prost and win a title with Williams, but there’s a long way to go yet.
Speaking after the race, journalist Julianne Cerasoli revealed the things that Sainz has brought from Ferrari to his new team which may be helping.
“It’s interesting to see what they can do in the rest of the championship because they seem to be learning a lot from Carlos,” she said. “So Carlos is bringing, he’s almost like expanding the horizons of Williams.
“He’s coming with very good references from the Ferrari, which seems to be kind of a joke after everything that happened this weekend. But yes, Ferrari usually has a better car than the Williams.
“And there are some traits that the Williams car has that they were accepting it as it is what it is and Carlos is going there and saying no, no, this is not how a car should behave.”
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Why Carlos Sainz has a chance to win a Formula 1 title with Williams
Sainz has an excellent track record when it comes to turning midfield teams into front-runners. Just look at how both McLaren and Ferrari were contending for the title last year after the Spaniard’s contributions.
It’s no coincidence that their rise through the field was met at the same time as him being one of their drivers, and it should give Williams another reason to be excited.
If he can replicate what he has done with their rivals at Grove, then his feedback and development expertise could put them in a great position.
With the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner, and the heavy investment that the team have made in their infrastructure ready to take off, Sainz could be a genuine title contender in the near future.
