Carlos Sainz, a change in perspective but not in mentality
New season, same Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, now in the second half of his career, knows he can no longer aim for victories and those achievements that were considered a normal aspiration at Ferrari. Williams, after all, offers more limited opportunities, but the Smooth Operator has already brought his mentality to Grove, shifting his target to ninth place—the new Eldorado—imagining that the top eight positions are “reserved” for the drivers of the top teams.
Carlos Sainz’s comments
“Well, it’s not the same thing to go into 24 races thinking you can win them as it is to approach them knowing that you probably can’t do better than ninth place, or maybe a bit higher if some drivers make mistakes,” the Spaniard told his fellow countrymen at SoyMotor. “It’s a psychological process that will certainly have an effect on a driver like me, who has gotten used to fighting for victories. But I remember how I felt when I finished eighth after doing everything perfectly—the feeling wasn’t that different from winning a Grand Prix.”
“This year, I’ll be in an incredibly competitive midfield. There will be a lot of rookies eager to prove themselves—it will be a very ‘fun’ part of the grid, which will definitely motivate me,” he continued. “You can’t even imagine how competitive I am and how angry I’ll be if I finish 11th instead of 10th, or 7th instead of 6th. The competitiveness we have inside us is something that doesn’t change, regardless of the team or the part of the grid we’re in.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out.
In his first impressions as a Williams driver, Carlos Sainz admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the FW46 (the 2024 car). According to him, the Grove-based team is starting from a better foundation than he expected, though 2025 will remain a transition year that Williams will use to prepare for the new 2026 regulations.
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