Carlos Sainz concedes podiums are unlikely in his first season with Williams as the team has to negate a “three or four-tenths” deficit to even break into Formula 1’s top four.

F1 2025 marks a new chapter in Sainz’s Formula 1 career as the Spaniard has swapped Ferrari for Williams, signing a multi-year agreement with the Grove team after being dropped by Ferrari to make room for Lewis Hamilton.

A surprise podium? Yes, it would be says Carlos Sainz

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

Racing for Williams will be a notably different challenge compared to his time at Ferrari, with Sainz going from fighting for race wins to racing just to score points.

Although Williams finished seventh in the F1 2023 championship, last year their early-season results suffered because of an overweight car that meant the team’s focus was on shedding kilograms rather than finding added downforce.

Williams dropped down to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, all but four of their 17 points scored in the final nine races of the campaign in a lighter car.

But while that was a sign that the team is moving in the right direction, Sainz concedes closing the three or four-tenths deficit to Formula 1’s front-running-four is not an easy task.

More on Carlos Sainz ahead of first Williams season

👉 Williams FW47 uncovered: The significant design clues from Silverstone

👉 Carlos Sainz and Williams: A marriage made in heaven?

And without that, podiums will be a stretch in F1 2025.

“It would be a surprise,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com at the F1 75 launch event when asked about the possibility of a ‘surprise’ podium in Melbourne.

“I think you guys have seen and heard us already talk about this year, and we’ve talked about it as a bit of a transition year, a preparation year to get ready for the opportunities that ’26 might bring.

“To bridge that gap from the midfield, where Williams was last year to top four teams, even though that gap is smaller than ever because you could see in qualifying at times last year there were not more than three or four-tenths among the top teams and the midfield teams, those three or four-tenths are very difficult to find in this budget cap, very constrained regulations era.

“So I think it’s going to be a challenge to even get into, I think, top 10 positions with the competition there was last year in this part of the field. So I’m ready for those fights and see what comes.

“If then a podium comes in the season we will more than welcome it, but I’m not expecting to go into the first race fighting for podiums or even top fives.”

Williams covered the first laps in the FW47 at the Silverstone circuit last week with Sainz conducting the opening run before handing the car over to his team-mate Alex Albon.

“This is a good show of Williams’ progress, to be bold enough to prepare a test where all of our partners are here, all the media is invited to see the first laps of the car,” he said on the day.

“It shows the trust that Williams has in its new tools to produce a car that is going to be here on time, is going to be working well – like it did today, without any issues. It’s a good showing to the outside world.”

But while expectations, at least coming from outside of the team, are for a better 2025, Sainz told the Spanish media at the O2 Arena that Williams are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

“I think the team is keeping it low at the moment,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we’re flat or anything. I think it means the team knows this year is a transition year for 2026. That is a year where the team wants to take a big step forward.

“On the other hand, 2025, well, I know we’ve made progress and I think the team is showing that progress, but how much of that progress can allow you to fight for a podium? I think it’s, honestly speaking, relatively unlikely, but hey, you never know.

“I prefer to be more optimistic and wait at least for the test or the first race to see where we are.”

Read next: Hamilton makes ‘nothing like car I had before’ Ferrari comparison after Mercedes switch