Sainz: The results back why I chose Williams

Sainz had so much to deal with following his exit from Ferrari, who signed Lewis Hamilton in his place, and the start of life at Williams was not easy as he struggled to get his head around his new car and the new team.

But in the end, he managed to improve, delivering two podiums for Williams in Azerbaijan and Qatar, which was a first since 2021.

Now, the early struggles with the team seem to be a distant memory for Sainz, who reflected on his season, saying: "It’s gone much quicker than I thought it would!

"The fact that we are on the run so much in between races, non-stop… The sport is growing massively, so you do more marketing, more travelling, more races... By the end of the year, you cannot understand how it’s all flown by.

“But, if you told me at the beginning of the year that there was going to be fifth position for Williams at the end of the championship, a good step forward, closing the gap to the top teams, and a couple of podiums, I would have taken it. It’s been a good year overall.

“Also, when I signed with Williams in the summer of 2024, if I would have told people that I’m joining them because these results are going to happen, they wouldn’t have fully believed me.

"I have the results now to back why I chose this team—a vindication," the Spaniard maintained.

Sainz hailed the approach adopted by Williams boss, James Vowles, who he claimed prepared him well for his new endeavors, offering insights on what to expect.

He explained: "After a tough end to 2024, with a lot of crashes, lacking parts, and being slow in Abu Dhabi, James was like, ‘Next year’s car is going to be okay. We’re going to be quick. It’s going to be a good step’. The moment we put the new car on track for testing in Bahrain, I realized how much of a big step the team had done.

“But then, as much as he told me those positives, James also said, ‘You’re going to see some very big flaws that we have as a team at the moment’. He was very honest about it, he spoke sense, and he was very realistic.

"The thing about Williams is there are so many areas where the team is closer to the top than what I would have expected it to be.

"But then I also found some other areas that we are very far behind. For me, it’s about being very vocal and very clear about the areas that are not good enough.

"There are very big contrasts in this team," the winner of four grands prix pointed out. "You have incredibly talented people, you have very good ideas.

"But then there are other things—processes, tools, simulation—where the team is really, really far behind. It’s how we accelerate the process, and everyone’s working flat-out to develop those weaknesses to make sure we are a top team.

“I feel like the good thing is the management, in this case James and [Dorilton Capital], were always super honest to me about them.

"All of the [weaknesses] have been briefed; I haven’t found any nasty surprises, and I’ve just gone into it being realistic, knowing that the only thing I can do is give my best to try and help," he claimed.

As for the future, Sainz believes Williams has a bright future while also being wary about the huge regulation change in 2026.

He said: "The team is on an upward trajectory, and it’s fundamental to continue that trajectory—it’s important to keep showing progress, to not stall that progress that we are showing.

“Having said that, with such a big change of regulations, that progress might look different next year, because it’s going to be so unpredictable to know where everyone’s going to be. But I trust what the team is doing; I trust all the efforts that we’ve been putting into next year’s car through all the simulator sessions and all the development work.

“I’m feeling positive. I’m relatively happy and confident about it, but with the impossibility to say more than, ‘I don’t know where we’re going to be’," concluded Sainz.

(Quotes from Formula One Official Website)