Carlos Sainz has reaffirmed his commitment to Williams despite the team’s difficult 2026 Formula 1 season, identifying delays, excessive weight and insufficient aerodynamic performance as the three major problems behind the FW48’s struggles. The Spaniard’s recently announced multi-year contract underlines his continued faith in the Williams project, with Carlos Sainz insisting that leaving when a team is struggling is simply not in his nature.
The Williams driver also has no intention of bringing his Formula 1 career to an early conclusion. Looking at the longevity demonstrated by Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and other experienced drivers, Carlos Sainz believes competing beyond the age of 40 is entirely realistic and says he intends to remain in Formula 1 for as long as he can.
Carlos Sainz explains Williams’ difficult 2026 Formula 1 season
How is Carlos Sainz?
“He’s doing well because he’s driving well. On a personal level, I know I’m doing everything possible to help the team and I think the performance I’m delivering is also very good.”
When you announced your agreement with Williams two years ago, you made a point of saying that you believed in the project, but that you would still consider a possible approach from a top team. What is the situation today?
“My first year with Williams surprised me positively. I think last season we made a huge step forward. I didn’t expect to be on the podium with this team as early as 2025, and we had a very strong season. Obviously, that progress raised expectations for 2026, and I thought we would be much closer to where we wanted to be. Those higher expectations and the problems we experienced with the car instead created a bit of disappointment.”
“I’m not revealing any secret by saying that, for me, for James Vowles and for the whole team, there is an awareness that we haven’t achieved the targets we set ourselves. The only thing we need now is to understand why, learn from our mistakes and manage to find the right path next year.”
The Spaniard’s assessment reflects the scale of the challenge facing Williams after a 2025 campaign that had raised expectations significantly heading into Formula 1’s new technical era.
The car arrived very late for pre-season testing. Was that the first warning sign?
“The complete picture didn’t emerge immediately because, at the beginning of the season, I thought the problems were mostly linked to the delay we had accumulated in completing the project and to the weight of the car. I told myself: we’ll start more slowly, but we’ll recover with the developments, as we did in 2025.”
“The situation changed when, after bringing our upgrades to the track, we saw that our rivals were improving more than we were. At that point I realised that we were not on the right path and that we probably hadn’t interpreted the new technical regulations in the best possible way.”
Williams’ inability to match the development rate of its rivals has become increasingly visible, with Carlos Sainz recently admitting that Aston Martin’s progress has moved it beyond Williams’ reach in the midfield battle.
Was there a point when you realised 2026 was going to be difficult?
“When you see that our steps forward are much smaller than those being made by Racing Bulls, McLaren and a good number of the other teams, it’s not a good sign, because we were starting from a less competitive base, so on paper we should have been recovering more. That was the moment when I realised, together with the team, that we clearly weren’t on the right path and that we needed to reconsider everything.”
“The problems weren’t only related to the initial delay or the weight, but also to an aerodynamic concept that wasn’t performing well enough. Our current performance is the result of three separate issues: not completing the car on time, not building it in line with the minimum weight and not achieving sufficiently competitive aerodynamics.”
The team’s continuing efforts to recover performance will remain important during the second half of the season, although Williams has already acknowledged that its planned Baku upgrade will not solve all of the FW48’s weaknesses.
Carlos Sainz explains why he renewed with Williams
You have just renewed the contract that keeps you at Williams for next season as well. In its press release, the team described the agreement as multi-year. Does that mean you will no longer be able to consider possible offers from top teams?
“The normal process is always to assess the overall situation before signing a contract. But when we put everything on the table, another aspect emerged that is important to me: I’ve never liked leaving a team when it is going through a difficult period. It isn’t part of my character to go somewhere else if the situation has become worse since I joined the team.”
“When I decided to commit to the Williams project, I accepted that there could be difficult moments and, even though the one we are going through is particularly tough, I’m ready to accept it. Nobody in the team is happy with the current situation and we are all pushing to change it as quickly as possible. But, I repeat, it is not my style to abandon ship during a difficult moment.”
Williams has formally confirmed Carlos Sainz’s new multi-year contract, extending a partnership that began when the former Ferrari driver joined the Grove-based team for the 2025 season.
Was the Audi possibility that was talked about ever real?
“No, they were just the usual paddock rumours. I can confirm that this year I never really considered going anywhere else.”
Carlos Sainz on why the 2026 cars have changed driver performance
There has been a lot of discussion this year about drivers and their ability to adapt to a car. According to several people in Formula 1, the new regulations favour certain driving styles more than others, while some argue that a Formula 1 driver should be capable of adapting to anything. How do you see it?
“Let’s start with one point: it has been impressive to see how many changes there have been in performance between team-mates. Not only between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, but also between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and with Max Verstappen not being as dominant over Isack Hadjar.”
“I think it is a lesson for everyone. We have had confirmation that when the basic concept of a car changes, the competitive order between drivers can change as well.”
That effect has been particularly noticeable with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull RB22, one of several examples Carlos Sainz highlighted when discussing how Formula 1’s new generation of cars can influence drivers differently.
“It’s something I’ve always maintained: a car can suit you extremely well or it can be out of line with what you would like, but sooner or later you have to adapt. It may take you some time, but eventually you have to manage it.”
“I’ve always thought that many results achieved in Formula 1 have also been helped by the combination of being in the right place at the right time. For many years, I’ve been convinced that there are cars that simply suit your driving style from the very first laps.”
Ground-effect cars forced Carlos Sainz away from his natural style
Have you experienced that yourself?
“It happened when the ground-effect regulations came into force. From 2022 onwards, for four years, I was never able to drive according to my natural style. I adapted and still managed to achieve good results, but I remain convinced that the Carlos who drove during the ground-effect era was not the same Carlos who drove the 2021, 2020 or 2019 cars.”
“I’m not saying I was slow with the ground-effect cars. I think I had some good races during that period, both with Ferrari and Williams, but I always had to adapt to something that didn’t come quite as naturally to me. I had to work harder, and I think it was the same for other drivers.”
Have you also experienced the opposite situation?
“Yes, with McLaren. In the final test of the season in Abu Dhabi in December 2018, I got into their car for the first time and immediately felt that it drove in a way that was exactly in line with what I liked.”
“During my two years with McLaren, I think you saw the best version of me, but I also really liked the Toro Rosso. I liked the Renault a little less, while I immediately liked the 2021 Ferrari and I think I always performed very well.”
“Then, with the arrival of ground effect, it became more difficult, but this year I have started enjoying driving more again. In the end, I don’t think a team is capable of designing a car specifically around your driving style. Sometimes there are positive coincidences, and when that happens you feel unbeatable. You get the feeling that it is your car.”
Carlos Sainz still believes Williams can return to winning
Have you set yourself a deadline for achieving success with Williams?
“No. For me, the most important thing is next year. The objective is to recover ground and get out of the situation we are in today. I want to win again as soon as possible.”
“This year we have fallen behind compared with what we expected. It is a false step on the path we need to take to get where we want to be. But there are also many projects going on behind the scenes at Williams that the press, the fans and people don’t see, and they are moving forward. That has led me to believe that an upward trajectory in the right direction could begin soon.”
“Personally, these changes that are happening, these new projects and the new people arriving in the team make me believe there are still reasons to be optimistic. I want to stay here and for all of us together to achieve the objectives we set ourselves two years ago.”
“I have confidence in James and in the management. We share the same motivation to get back to the top as quickly as possible.”
Despite the difficult campaign, Carlos Sainz remains committed to the longer-term Williams rebuild while continuing to fight for the strongest possible position in the 2026 Formula 1 championship.
McLaren’s recovery gives Carlos Sainz reason to believe
You experienced a similar journey at McLaren. You were convinced the team would improve, which it eventually did, but in the meantime Ferrari called…
“McLaren improved. After the victory at Monza with Daniel Ricciardo in 2021, they went through a difficult period. I remember that the following season, during testing in Bahrain, they had a strange front-brake problem related to overheating, and at that moment I couldn’t understand how McLaren could be in that situation.”
“But then they managed to find the right path, and that confirms that the growth trajectories of teams are not always linear. There are always big steps, but the important thing is the average.”
“I was certain McLaren would return to winning. I’m a big fan of Andrea Stella and the way he leads a team, as well as Zak Brown, and I genuinely believed they could return to the top, which is what eventually happened. But Ferrari called me.”
Carlos Sainz wants to race in Formula 1 beyond 40
You have been in Formula 1 for 12 years, but if we look at Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso, you might not even have reached the halfway point of your career yet. How do you imagine your long-term future?
“Seeing what Fernando and Lewis are capable of doing, but also Nico, who is a few years older than me, confirms that you can maintain a high level of driving for a long time.”
“I’m fortunate to be in a sport that allows you to stay involved for many years. I also have an example at home… my father Carlos isn’t in Formula 1, but at 63 he is still competitive, and two years ago he won the Dakar.”
“If you protect your physical fitness and maintain good motivation, you can extend your career for a very long time. You need to be in a good mental state because you also have to take the travelling into account, as well as the marketing and media activities. Leaving those aspects aside, I think you can continue until 45.”
But do you still have the motivation and desire to compete?
“At the moment, yes. I think I will stay in Formula 1 for as long as I can. I don’t understand people who say ‘no’. It’s strange, because my theory is that at 40 you’re not even halfway through your life, and I ask myself what I’m going to do during the second half.”
“I like playing golf, cycling, playing padel and challenging myself with business activities, but even if you add all of that together, it still doesn’t come close to the enjoyment I get from being where I am today.”
“I’m aware of how fortunate I am to be able to be part of this sport. It’s true that 24 races are not a small number and that there are many activities surrounding them, but when I go to bed, I remind myself that I wouldn’t trade all of this for anything in the world.”
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