Ever since Carlos Sainz joined Williams Racing for this season, there have been some questions regarding whether this is a long-term or a short-term commitment from Carlos Sainz. But after the pre-season testing at Bahrain, the Spaniard has made his goals with Williams very clear.
We all know that Carlos Sainz is a top-level driver. Some of his best performances came during his time at McLaren and Ferrari. But with Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari for this season, there was simply no room for Sainz. With Mercedes and Red Bull electing to choose drivers from their own pools, Sainz decided to go with Williams for his future in F1.
Carlos Sainz’s goal with Williams Racing
Given that Sainz is already a proven talent in F1, there are some who expect him to start fighting in the top 5 from the beginning. But this is simply not practical. During his interview with MARCA, he was asked what we can expect from him and the team this year, and he said:
“I’m sure you won’t see me on the podium or in the top five this year, so don’t get too motivated, but at least make sure that I haven’t come to Williams to pass the time, to let the years go by, to be in the middle of the grid. If I’ve come to Williams, it’s to get this team moving forward, and I trust that I can do that, and that the first thing yesterday at least serves to show people that I’m here for it, we’re going for it,”.
Key Takeaways From the 2025 F1 Pre-Season Testing: What We’ve Learned So Far
When it was announced that Sainz would be driving for Williams from the 2025 season, there was some speculation suggesting that he was just biding his time until a better seat in F1 opened up. But Sainz has made it clear that this is not the case. He wants to stay with the team and bring them back to the glory they once had.
Back during the 1990s, Williams was one of the strongest teams on the grid. During that decade, they won 5 Constructors’ Championships and 4 Drivers’ Championships. However, since then, the team has fallen behind.
How can Carlos Sainz help rebuild the Williams Racing team?
Ever since James Vowles was appointed as the team principal at Williams Racing, he has been making a number of changes within the team to help deliver a strong car for the drivers. But what role does Carlos Sainz play in rebuilding Williams?
Given that Carlos Sainz is an experienced driver with a proven track record, his feedback on the performance of the car is invaluable. If we look at the previous teams he has worked with, they have all improved since he joined.
Before 2019, McLaren was one of the worst teams in F1. But when Sainz joined the team that year, they quickly got a podium finish at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, and the team went on to finish on the podium 2 more times in 2020.
🏁| Now that testing is over let’s have a look at the overall results across all 3 days!
Sainz was fastest but closely followed by the top teams!#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/iQZ7bE2zPy
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) February 28, 2025
The same can be said about Ferrari, who had one of their worst seasons in F1 in 2020, and last year, they finished 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship, only behind McLaren, who won the title.
Carlos Sainz Jr. is now looking to continue his work of building teams back to their glory with Williams. After the pre-season testing at Bahrain, the Williams team principal said that Sainz has already made the car faster than it was supposed to be.
It will be interesting to see how Sainz performs with Williams in the coming years. Do you think Carlos Sainz can help Williams to start winning races again? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
