Carlos Sainz has started life at Williams very positively after an encouraging run at Formula 1’s pre-season test in Bahrain.
After Ferrari opted to sign Lewis Hamilton in his place for 2025, Sainz’s confidence could easily have taken a hit.
There seem to be no signs of such a situation, after he set the fastest time of testing for Williams over all the title protagonists.
It’s an encouraging sign for a team which finished only ninth in the constructors’ championship last year and were distant from the midfield at times.
Sainz told David Croft he’s absolutely committed to Williams and their positive trajectory can only be a good sign.
After decades away from contention for victories, there is a serious chance that they will be able to step up and be a real menace from the start of the 2026 F1 regulations.
Williams avoiding race simulations at F1 testing may be a ‘good thing’ for Carlos Sainz
Williams spent much of pre-season testing conducting shorter runs in a bid to test as many setups as possible.
The more Sainz can get a feel for how the FW47 feels in different conditions, the better of an understanding he will have to make changes when the season starts.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz found one 2024 F1 moment even ‘harder’ than losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Cristobal Rosaleny believes it is a good thing that the team avoided long runs in the desert.
“He is happy. Normally super cautious and this time he is slipping a little,” he said. “The little smile has found himself comfortable with the car which is very important. It is not a Ferrari 2022 with which he felt bad.
“But from the beginning, he has found the things he said he wanted. But to go looking for now those key points of speed, the last tenth. The important thing is that it goes well also in long runs. It was good.
“Did not do a race simulation among other things because they did not want to. He says ‘I cannot afford to lose two hours, I need to try more and more setups’. But that is good news. Deep down it does not mean that they are tuning.”
Carlos Sainz explains why Alex Albon is the ‘perfect’ teammate at Williams
Sainz has himself a new teammate for 2025, as he lines up alongside the experienced and dependable Alex Albon.
The Thai star has been with the Grove-based outfit for three seasons and experienced the ups and downs of their journey from the back.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz outlines ‘little differences’ Alex Albon picked up in first weeks at Williams
Sainz thinks Albon is perfect and the two should be able to work together quite well. They’re not the most confrontational characters and they know that it’s up to them to help Williams move forward.
Under the leadership of James Vowles, and with investment matching their rivals, there is no reason why this cannot be a championship contending team before 2030.
