Carlos Sainz proves true team player with heartfelt letter to Williams staff: “Be proud, this is your achievement”. Carlos Sainz reflects on his first season with Williams.

At the heart of the team

“As we conclude an extraordinary first season together, I want to express my sincere gratitude to each of you for the incredible welcome you gave me from day one at Grove.” These are the opening words of the letter Carlos Sainz sent to all employees of the Williams team, celebrating his first year with the historic British outfit. The 2025 season exceeded all expectations, with Sainz rising strongly in the second half of the year after a challenging start. He secured two podiums—the team’s best result since 2015—and helped Williams achieve fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, a milestone the team had not reached in eight years.

Sainz perfectly adapted to his role within the team, supporting Alex Albon during the early part of the year when the Thai driver was in excellent form and then taking the lead himself. In the final ten races of the season, the former Ferrari driver scored the seventh-highest points total, even outperforming his successor at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton. During his time at Maranello, many fans and experts had criticized the Madrid-born driver for not being a team player. At Williams, however, he proved to be a crucial glue that helped the team grow.

What also stands out is the deep bond between the Spanish driver and the Williams team, exemplified by this heartfelt letter, which was accompanied by a special gift sent to every member of the team. This tangible gesture demonstrates how well the partnership is working and its potential for future growth. Meanwhile, at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton struggled to adapt during his first season with the team. Below, we provide the full text of Carlos Sainz’s letter to all Williams staff.

The full text of Sainz’s letter

“As we conclude an extraordinary first season together, I want to express my sincere gratitude to each of you for the incredible welcome you gave me from day one at Grove.

I knew I was joining a truly special team, but our first year together exceeded all my expectations. This specially created print is a small gesture of thanks, and I hope it will serve as a reminder of everything we accomplished together throughout 2025.

It is thanks to your dedication and commitment that we were able to achieve our most ambitious goal this year: securing fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, enjoying the journey along the way with podiums in Baku and Qatar, and a podium in the Sprint at Austin. These special moments are not my achievement alone—they are the direct result of your efforts and our teamwork, and I sincerely hope you are as proud as I am of every point we scored.

We have laid a solid foundation for next season, and I am excited to get back on track. But make no mistake, there is still a long way to go before we reach our ultimate goal: returning this team to victory, to the position it deserves.

After our first year together, I have no doubt that we have all the right ingredients to achieve this, and you can rest assured that I will give my all to represent you both on and off the track to the best of my ability.

Be proud of what we are building together, enjoy a well-deserved rest with your loved ones, and I look forward to seeing you in 2026, fully recharged and ready to go.”