Carlos Sainz has shown early promise in his first weeks at Williams after setting the fastest time in Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The Spaniard went quickest of all the drivers on the second day of pre-season testing, after spending much of the test trying out different setups to optimise his FW47.
Even though Sainz’s times are not representative, it is a landmark achievement for the team ahead of 2025 and shows their rivals that they are ready to compete for points in the midfield.
Sainz felt he didn’t reach the full potential of his Williams after testing after the team decided not to focus on long runs, so their true pace is still an unknown relative to everyone else. But with this year’s cars being evolutions of last year, they will likely be in the hunt for decent points hauls each race.
Karun Chandhok has outlined one thing that Sainz did pre-season that Lewis Hamilton was blocked from completing when speaking on the Fast and Curious podcast.
Karun Chandhok says Carlos Sainz benefitted from Abu Dhabi post-season test
After the final race in Abu Dhabi last season, Sainz was granted an early release from his Ferrari contract to take part in the post-season test with Williams.
Hamilton was blocked by Mercedes from taking part in the test with Ferrari, as he was technically still contracted until the end of the year and needed to carry out sponsorship commitments.
Sainz went second fastest from Charles Leclerc during the test, and it proved to be important for the Spaniard as he could gather some data on last year’s car and take it with him into the winter break.
“The early signs for Williams are positive. Both drivers said the car was a step forward compared to last year,” said Chandhok.
“I think it was important for Carlos to do that day in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year, because as a driver that then sits in your mind through the winter. He would’ve gone through December/January with that knowledge in his head and it would’ve helped him recalibrate from driving the red car.”
Carlos Sainz receiving help from Roberto Merhi
Williams was one of the most productive teams during pre-season testing in Bahrain, with the team racking up 395 laps over the course of the three days.
The team also did not suffer from many major issues, with Sainz and Alex Albon able to complete their run plans as scheduled.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz explains what felt ‘really weird’ about his first 10 laps in Williams’ F1 car
Sainz was seen receiving help from former F1 driver Roberto Merhi, who was acting as a ‘second pair of eyes’ in the Williams garage according to Ted Kravitz.
It will be a pivotal year for Williams as they attempt to finish higher up the Constructors’ Championship ahead of what they expect will be an important season in 2026.
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