After competing in the first two races of the season in the World F1 Championship, Carlos Sainz has not been able to show the expected performance and in a world like that of top-level motor racing, and generated the first noise about his abilities and his adaptation to his new team.
Carlos Sainz and his arrival at Williams
The truth is that on paper everything indicated that the arrival of Carlos Sainz was going to be pleasant in terms of the pressure that the Spaniard would have to bear. His quality is beyond doubt and his involvement, after his behaviour at Ferrari last season, even knowing from the beginning that he would not continue this season, is a testament to this. What’s more, he was joining one of the worst teams last season with a comfortable Alex Albon who didn’t seem like he was going to put up a fight. Everything suggested that Sainz was coming to give the team a boost and that his presence would put them back on the F1 map.
And after the pre-season tests, in which Carlos Sainz was the fastest in Bahrain (the next grand prix), everything suggested a pleasant adaptation for Sainz, who has once again experienced first-hand how tough F1 can be and how short its memory is.
His retirement on the first lap, practically without having started the race and behind the safety car, and a second race where he could only finish in thirteenth place (in the end he finished in the points due to the disqualification of Pierre Gasly and the Ferraris), were a real blow, and even more so seeing the results of his teammate, Alexandre Albon, fifth and ninth place (16 points), which has caused the first rumblings in his new team.
James Vowles, team principal of Williams, has praised Alexnder Albon after the first two races. “What I like about Alex, without his helmet, is that he jokes, he’s funny. With his helmet on, he’s absolutely goal-oriented and he wanted to show the world that he deserves his place in the sport and, more importantly, against Carlos.” “I would say that Alex has taken another step forward. There’s no doubt about it.”
Williams shows its support for Carlos Sainz
However, James Vowles has been quick to bless the signing of Carlos Sainz by Williams and is not the least bit concerned about the Spaniard’s first two races, aware that he has only been with the team for a short time and has things to assimilate. “Clearly he still has more scope to adapt to the car, and we need to do more to help him feel comfortable.”
“Carlos was the last of this team to win a race and he is competing at the top level of the sport. And we have a responsibility to him to make sure we adapt the car and he starts to feel more comfortable to ensure we perform together.”
“We have features that are not yet as good as Carlos was used to in his previous team (Ferrari), and that has led us to dig deep to find every ounce of performance available for 2025 and 2026.”
James Vowles wanted to explain why he made public Carlos Sainz’s help on the wall after the mistake in the first race that left him out of Australia, key to Albon’s fifth place finish.
“I wanted to make sure that the world really realized how great Carlos is in the background. Because when a driver has a difficult race, he internalizes it, he feels responsible for it, and Carlos did the opposite. “I wanted to help Alex get a good result.”
Confidence in both drivers
James Vowles wanted to compare the virtues of Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon, two different drivers who complement each other and can help improve the team in all aspects.
“We have two drivers who want the best for the team at the moment. Interestingly, the feedback from Carlos and Alex is very similar, so we have strengths and weaknesses that they both detect. This has resulted in tools such as the differential or engine braking being similar in both cars because the requirements of both drivers for balance and driving style are very, very similar.”