Carlos Sainz after his first laps in 2025 Williams FW47 at Silverstone: “Two or three things to improve”. Carlos Sainz has completed his first laps in the Williams FW47.

After McLaren made a surprise on-track debut yesterday, revealing its new car for the first time, today it was the turn of another British team. Williams showcased the FW47 in a live event on its social media channels, the car that will compete in the 2025 F1 season with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. Here are the first words from the former Ferrari driver after his laps at Silverstone.

Apart from Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, Carlos Sainz’s transfer was the most talked-about switch of the 2024 Formula 1 season. After four years in red, where he proved his speed, the Spaniard will be replaced by the seven-time world champion starting in 2025. From there, the hunt for a seat began.

Initially, rumors linked him to Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli spending a year at Williams for development. Then, Red Bull was mentioned, with speculation that Pérez might leave F1. Later, it seemed almost certain that he would join Sauber, set to become Audi in 2026. But none of these options materialized.

The last available seat was at Williams, a team that has written F1 history but has been struggling in recent years to avoid finishing last in the Constructors’ standings. The deal was finalized in mid-2024, and Sainz immediately began working with the British team.

Already in the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi, the number 55 was given clearance by Ferrari to make his debut in blue. He was back on track a few weeks ago in Barcelona and today, February 14, at Silverstone with the new FW47.

Williams chose Valentine’s Day to unveil its new car. However, the livery shown is not the final one, which will instead be revealed on February 18 at an event at the O2 Arena in London. In the meantime, after his first laps, Carlos Sainz gave an interview to Jenson Button, sharing his impressions of the FW47.

“I can tell you that everything went well, which is already good news. An installation lap with a brand-new car is always a bit tricky, but everything worked as expected, and we’re ready to start the testing program. Now, first of all, I want to give feedback to the engineers on the two or three things that I think should be improved.”

“The feeling inside the cockpit is what I want to discuss with them. Then we will prepare the car to run on slick tires and probably start pushing little by little.”