Carlos Sainz reflected on his first half-season with Williams: “Very different compared to Ferrari”
At the midpoint of a season marked by highs and lows, Carlos Sainz offered an honest assessment of his journey so far with Williams. Speed, adaptation, and potential have not been lacking, but a string of unfortunate episodes and strategic difficulties have prevented the Spanish driver from reaping the rewards of his efforts.
Carlos Sainz’s words
Sainz summed up the first half of his 2025 campaign during the press conference: “That’s a tough question — summing it up so briefly,” he began. “I’d say we’ve had ups and downs. And it’s extremely frustrating, because I think I’ve had good speed. From the start, I adapted well and found a strong rhythm, but it’s been quite hard to put together a full weekend during this first part of the season.”
The Spaniard listed a number of setbacks that have affected his performances:“When it wasn’t a reliability issue, it was a collision with a rival. When it wasn’t a collision, it was that we didn’t even get to start, like in Austria. Or traffic in Q1, or some strategic errors we’ve made this year. All of these factors have kept us from turning potential into results.”
“Among all these ups and downs, the speed is still there. That proves we’re heading in the right direction. But when you don’t have the results to show for it, the frustration takes over. So yeah, ‘frustrated’ is the word I’d use to describe it so far.”
When discussing his adaptation to Williams, Sainz explained the key challenges:“There are several things. For sure, being back in the midfield comes with its own set of challenges. I’ve been knocked out in Q1 two or three times by just ten-thousandths. You know exactly where you lost them, and those fractions completely change your weekend. Maybe you’ve got a car that can recover, but if you start at the back and everyone’s on similar pace, it becomes very hard to climb back without trying something extreme.”
Then, a technical comparison with his time at Ferrari:“The car feels very different compared to the Ferrari. It has different limits and requires a completely different driving style and setup. But I’ve adapted fairly quickly. I want to highlight how much performance and results also depend on how well you integrate with your team and make the right calls, especially on the strategic side.”
“It takes time. You need a period of adjustment to be able to put together a strong weekend — both in qualifying and the race. And we’re still working on that” , he concluded.
Photo: Williams Racing
