Sainz Doubts Williams Project for the First Time

Carlos Sainz said that Williams' poor start to the 2026 season made him doubt the project for the first time. The driver, after internal team analyses, expressed his belief...

Scraper SystemJune 05, 2026, 10:57 AM

Sainz Doubts Williams Project for the First Time

Carlos Sainz said that Williams' weak start to the 2026 Formula 1 season made him think about the team's future for the first time. Starting the season by scoring points three times in five race weekends, Sainz emphasized that the car's performance was noticeably behind last year's level.

Williams' FW48 car ranked ninth in the average speed standings at this stage of the season. Evaluating the situation before the Monaco Grand Prix, Sainz candidly stated that even if the weight problem was solved, the potential might not be sufficient.

"This car is not enough" assessment

Sainz said the team did not see the problem as limited to just excess weight, but that there were also deficiencies in how the car produced performance. The driver, noting that Williams fell short of expectations in many areas, expressed that finishing at least ahead of the midfield group by the end of the season was a realistic goal.

The Spanish driver recalled that he had previously described Williams' situation as "a shock." This time, when asked whether this directly tested his belief in the project, he gave a clear answer and said it was definitely a test for him.

Sainz explained that dropping about two and a half seconds in pace at the start of the season compared to a scenario where they reached podiums in the last part of the previous year was a serious shock. He stated that this decline clearly showed the difference between expectations and reality.

Comprehensive analysis within the team

Sainz also shared that he was one of the first to tell the team management that this was an unexpected situation. Then, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted with James Vowles and senior team members, examining how the problem started and where it deepened one by one.

After this process, Sainz said his opinion was strengthened again and that the shock forced some changes within the team. According to him, this situation helped fix some weaknesses that would normally have gone unnoticed.

Sainz stated that for this reason, he thought the difficulties experienced might have also produced beneficial results for the team. He said the team took strong steps to prevent the same problems from recurring and thoroughly reviewed some systems.

2025 raised expectations

He admitted that Williams' 2025 car exceeded expectations and that this might have raised his own expectations for 2026. However, he added that solving the weight problem would take longer than he wanted.

Emphasizing that the team must carefully prioritize due to the budget cap in Formula 1, Sainz said focusing only on weight was not enough and that performance gains were needed in other areas as well.

Stating that he needs to be patient for the rest of the season, Sainz said he is focusing on his own performance and has personally found a good rhythm this season. According to him, Williams is trying to overcome this big blow experienced at the start of the year.

Sainz Doubts Williams Project for the First Time

Carlos Sainz said that Williams' poor start to the 2026 season made him doubt the project for the first time. The driver, after internal team analyses, expressed his belief...