Carlos Sainz has shared a candid assessment of his debut season with Williams, reflecting on his expectations, concerns, and reasons for remaining hopeful about the team’s prospects. Despite a challenging start, the Spaniard expressed confidence in Williams’ development and his own future contributions.

After four years driving for Ferrari, Sainz moved to Williams in 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari, which left Sainz without a seat. Although Alpine and Audi were alternative options, uncertainties with both teams led him to commit to Williams, a decision he believes is grounded in a solid long-term vision.

Sainz’s Mixed Results and Initial Expectations with Williams

Sainz described his 2025 campaign as a blend of promise and occasional difficulties, yet he emphasized he harbors no regrets about joining Williams. He had hoped the team’s car would position him in the midfield, enabling him to fight for points regularly instead of languishing at the back of the grid. He explained:

“My hopes were that Williams would be a solid midfield car in ’25 that allowed me to fight for points and not be at the back end of the grid… just somewhere around the top 10 that I could still have fun playing around for points – which might sound stupid, but it’s still better and it’s a lot more something to go for than fighting for P16, P17, where 24 races like that can get frustrating for a driver.” —Carlos Sainz, Driver

Initially, Sainz was concerned about joining a team without a clear path to competitiveness but said his unease has eased after seeing Williams’ potential. He added:

“The fears were being at the back end of the grid and finding a team that doesn’t have the potential to actually be a championship contender. But I must say that that part is also covered. I see good potential and a very strong project to actually be competitive in the future.” —Carlos Sainz, Driver

Throughout the season, Sainz’s results have varied. His average race finish hovers around 11.5, with his best performances being eighth place finishes in Saudi Arabia and Imola, contrasted by an 18th place in Belgium. Two DNFs and one DNS have interrupted his momentum, and races like Hungary demonstrated the challenge of consistently extracting strong results despite competitive driving.

Despite these hurdles, Sainz maintains a positive view of Williams’ progress and his decision to join the team:

“I don’t regret the move, for sure. And I’m actually pretty encouraged for what I’ve seen. 2025 has exceeded my expectations in terms of car performance and what the team is capable of doing. So, I’m very comfortable and calm with the decision. I’m just frustrated that the results haven’t been better because the feeling is saying the opposite, but the results for one reason or another are not coming.” —Carlos Sainz, Driver

Compared to teammate Alex Albon, who has scored the majority of Williams’ points this season, Sainz argues the pace difference is minimal. He believes frequent small margins of tenths of a second validate his competitive performance despite less consistent weekend outcomes.

Long-Term Vision and Collaboration on Williams’ Development

Sainz’s focus extends well beyond 2025, as his talks with team principal James Vowles have centered on establishing a foundation for sustained growth. Drawing upon his experiences with Ferrari and McLaren, Sainz is actively involved in shaping the team’s strategy for the coming years.

“The other hopes were still TBC, which is ’26, ’27, ’28. Where can Williams get to? And my feeling and my hope is that we can be championship contenders in the late part of the years that I just mentioned. Part of it we know and it’s been more than achieved, which is we’re a very solid midfield car. The rest is the TBC of the hopes,” he added. —Carlos Sainz, Driver

While acknowledging Albon’s consistency in scoring points, Sainz insists the performance gap between them is not as wide as the standings imply. Nonetheless, he admits that making the most of race weekends has been rare so far.

“It’s a bit of a weird feeling because I feel competitive. I feel fast. I feel like when I put a lap together in the Williams, I still have a lot of lap time and potential. But I think we’ve maximized the weekend in one or two occasions out of 12 – which in my ratio of a year in F1, that’s very little in my experience.” —Carlos Sainz, Driver

This combination of frustration and optimism illustrates Sainz’s complex position: despite disappointing results, he remains encouraged by Williams’ direction and capabilities. As the team returns from the break at Zandvoort, Sainz will aim to refocus and build on the progress made while taking personal time with his partner, Rebecca Donaldson.

Carlos Sainz Williams future optimism lies in harnessing this current phase as a stepping stone toward establishing Williams as a championship contender within the next few years, reinforcing the idea that the team’s present struggles are part of a broader journey toward success.