It has been a busy week for Carlos Sainz, who will test the 2025 Williams for the first time during pre-season testing in Bahrain. Yesterday, the Spaniard was also chosen as Sebastian Vettel’s successor in the role of Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director.
The former Ferrari driver has already completed an initial shakedown of the Williams FW47 at Silverstone, where the team led by James Vowles presented the car. Sainz’s signing was strongly pursued by the team principal, who last year engaged in lengthy negotiations to secure him.
Jenson Button, Williams ambassador, highlighted how the arrival of the Madrid-born driver has already made an impact, judging by the small changes he has introduced. Speaking on the Fast and Curious podcast, the Formula 1 world champion revealed that the Grove-based team has not stopped and has already “dumped” the former Ferrari driver.
Of course, not in the literal sense. Joking about how Carlos Sainz’s knowledge is crucial for the team’s growth, Williams has essentially performed a “download” of everything he has learned in four years at Ferrari.
“That of [Sainz and Alex Albon] is a great line-up. Based on what Carlos and the team have said, they have ‘downloaded’ everything from him over the past few months,” Button explained. “They are trying to extract all his experience from working at McLaren and Ferrari in recent years. It’s always interesting to know how other teams have managed things.”
“I think it was a bit of a shock for him to come to Silverstone in February for the car launch. Probably a lot less pasta in his stomach than he was used to,” he joked.
Sainz, the goal is to win with Williams
The Spaniard left Ferrari as runner-up in the Constructors’ Championship, stating that the Scuderia was ready to fight for the title. Williams, on the other hand, slipped to second-to-last place in the standings, and Carlos Sainz is aware that even securing a top-five finish this year will be a tough challenge.
In any case, for car number 55, it would be “the proudest moment” if he managed to restore Williams to its former glory. “I want to win. I’m coming to Williams to try to help in the recovery process toward the top of the standings as quickly as possible. I believe I can contribute to this. The challenge motivates me,” he said in a recent interview.
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