Carlos Sainz made his first appearance for Williams just a day after his Ferrari farewell in Abu Dhabi. Sainz took to the Yas Marina circuit for a filming day in the FW46.
Under the regulations, teams can carry out two of those ‘filming days’ per year. While nominally for marketing purposes, Sainz also had the opportunity to understand the car’s handling characteristics.
Williams’ 2025 development will already be advanced, but James Vowles wanted his engineers to take Sainz’s feedback on board immediately. What’s more, even if mileage was limited and he couldn’t run on traditional Pirelli rubber, he began to build a working relationship with his new colleagues.
The following day, Sainz was second fastest behind Charles Leclerc as he thrashed the car round the track a whopping 146 times as part of the official Abu Dhabi test. That means he’s now driven at least 2.5 race distances for his new team.
The 30-year-old is a marquee addition for a team looking to re-establish themselves as a contender in the long-term. Sainz has won four races, most recently the Mexico City GP in October, and stood on the podium 27 times.
Williams finished second from bottom in the constructors’ standings this season, having amassed just 14 points. The end of the year was marked by a brutal succession of accidents.
Carlos Sainz has brought banking giants Santander from Ferrari to Williams
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Williams don’t yet know whether they will breach the 2024 F1 cost cap. Vowles says it will be ‘very, very difficult’ not to exceed the spending limit.
Williams had to shell out seven figures after the Sao Paulo GP alone, when Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon combined for three accidents. Their final total for the year was an eye-watering 17.
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Red Bull received a significant $7m (£5.5m) fine for a minor breach in 2021, while Aston Martin were hit with a $450k (£354k) penalty. Any punishment for Williams could depend on the severity of the offence.
Crucially, though, the team have just netted a brand new sponsor. Sainz has brought Santander, the Spanish banking giants valued at €72bn (£59.8bn), with him from Ferrari, which will ‘bring money back into the coffers’.
Why Carlos Sainz couldn’t wear Williams overalls in first tests
Santander announced on Monday that they would become an official partner of the Williams team, with the logo appearing on the car immediately. They’ve previously sponsored McLaren in addition to Ferrari.
However, Sainz wasn’t allowed to display their logo on his race suit. Instead, he wore plain white overalls.
Sainz can’t contractually wear Williams merchandise while he’s still under contract at Ferrari. There are likely to be competing brands tied to the two teams.
Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel says Sainz has made a mistake by snubbing Audi in favour of Williams. He’ll be out to prove he made the right call next year by dragging the Grove outfit to the head of the midfield.
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