At Silverstone, the quintessential British circuit, a new chapter began for Carlos Sainz with a striking change of colors—from Ferrari red to Williams white.
However, this new challenge goes far beyond a simple color swap. At Maranello, Sainz was part of an established and well-oiled team, whereas at Grove, the Spaniard must work with a squad still growing and trying to reinvent itself after years of struggles.
James Vowles strongly pushed for Sainz’s arrival, knowing what he could bring on two fronts: not only performance on track but also experience and methodology. These are skills Sainz has developed not only at Ferrari but also during his time at McLaren—a team that, like Williams, was trying to rebuild after difficult years, albeit with different resources.
These were the key aspects the Team Principal highlighted during the FW47 launch, which immediately hit the track in what has been considered one of Williams’ best car debuts in recent years. Both Vowles and Sainz called it proof of the team’s progress.
A year ago, Williams was dealing with an overweight car and significant delays due to efforts to reduce chassis mass, to the point that they didn’t even have a spare monocoque for the first few Grands Prix. Now, the team is approaching the new season with greater confidence, and Sainz fits perfectly into this vision. According to Vowles, his impact is already clear.
“His contribution has already been felt in a few areas. Firstly, he works very well with Alex [Albon], especially when looking at control systems—differential maps, braking, and that sort of thing,” James Vowles said during the FW47 presentation.
In his previous teams, Carlos Sainz was always known for his meticulous attention to detail and was highly valued by engineers for his feedback. At Williams, this is particularly crucial, as aside from Alex Albon, the team has recently relied on two rookies—Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto—who needed more guidance from engineers than the other way around.
“He has brought a whole new dimension, whereas with Franco, despite his natural talent, we almost had to teach him how to use these systems. Now, we have an experienced race winner, and this has elevated the team. The same goes for starts—think about all the peripheral aspects. I can see a real shift in our performance from where we were before to where we are today.”
It’s a natural difference in approach and experience that Williams believes could make a significant impact, both in the short term and, more importantly, in the future—particularly in preparing for 2026 in the best way possible. The first test in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year already provided useful insights, not so much in terms of needing to do things differently, but in comparing a winning car to Williams’ weaknesses, which Sainz quickly identified.
“The other key factor is that having him with us in the Abu Dhabi test was incredibly useful. We were able to understand where our weaknesses are compared to a car he had driven just days before—a car with winning potential. More importantly, we were able to confirm that the path we have taken is the right one. He has shown us the way, and it’s the right one.”
“He gave us excellent, immediate, and clear feedback on aerodynamics in Abu Dhabi. The first good news is that he aligns with Alex, and the even better news is that the areas he highlighted are ones we were already working on for 2025. One of Carlos’ great strengths is his ability to digest this information in a clear and simple way, helping to point us in the right direction.”
“Lastly, this is a more qualitative aspect, but I see a team that is smiling, happy because they see a path to success—and that path has the names Carlos and Alex written on it. That is his contribution.”
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