Sainz is struggling with his single-seater: “We need to find the cause”
Williams's start to the 2025 season is a breath of fresh air, confirming the potential seen during winter testing. A sharp Alex Albon is putting in solid performances and racking up valuable points. However, his team-mate Carlos Sainz is struggling to find his feet in the FW47.
In Bahrain, during winter testing at the end of February, Carlos had good sensations and promising pace with his FW47. But two Grand Prix weekends later, the Spaniard’s struggles are growing, finding himself battling in the midfield or lower. He is consistently trailing Albon, with a significant gap of two to three tenths per lap. Sainz has pointed to difficulties in extracting maximum performance from the soft tyres in qualifying and an unpredictable race pace.
« I feel like there is something fundamentally wrong, » said a frustrated Sainz. « We need to find the cause. I was naturally fast during testing, and now, no matter what I do, we have to understand why. The feeling is very different from Bahrain, where I wasn’t even pushing and the lap times were dropping. »
The performance disparity between the two Williams drivers raises more questions than one might expect. How can an experienced Grand Prix winner like Sainz be systematically outpaced by Albon? The Oxford-based factory was hard at work during the break between the Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix, with the aim of analysing all parameters and identifying the source of the problem that’s preventing car number 55 from unlocking the full potential of the FW47.
« We made a few setup changes that seemed to help overall front tyre clearance, but unfortunately, on my side, the pace just wasn’t there and I struggled with a lot of graining in the first stint, and even in the second stint on the hard tyre, which is supposed to be more resistant to that, » he said after the Chinese Grand Prix.
Many questions remain. Why is Sainz, a driver known for his adaptability and feel behind the wheel, struggling to such an extent?
The situation is all the more concerning as Sainz’s confidence appears to be gradually eroding race after race. He is unable to recapture the sensations he had at the end of last season and during winter testing. The Spanish driver urgently needs to reconnect with positive feedback from the car if he’s to avoid sinking into doubt and frustration.
« A lot of analysis will be needed over the coming days because clearly, I wasn’t competitive, I wasn’t fast, and it’s something that obviously puzzles me because, since I first jumped in this car, I’ve been really fast, » he told the media.
The stakes are high for Williams. The team can’t afford to rely on just one driver performing at the top of his game if it wants to firmly establish itself as a competitive force and live up to its ambitions. Unlocking both Sainz’s and the car’s potential is the key to turning this challenging start to the season into genuine success.
