Sainz spent final laps at Ferrari preparing for first Williams test

Carlos Sainz Jnr has revealed he was already thinking about his first test for Williams as he completed his final grand prix for Ferrari on Sunday.

Williams’s new driver had his first run in their car less than 24 hours after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the same track. He is also driving for the team today in the post-season test at Yas Marina.

Sainz finished the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in second place, five seconds behind winner Lando Norris. He said he spent the final laps thinking ahead to his first runs for his new team Williams in order to make the most of the opportunity to compare the two cars.

“On my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for [Ferrari] and trying, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say ‘remember how this feels’,” he said after the race on Sunday. “Because tomorrow and Tuesday I need to remember why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good.”

He is moving from the team which finished second in the constructors’ championship to the team which finished second-to-last. Williams scored just 17 points to Ferrari’s 652.

“I know probably what I’m going to find tomorrow and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling in the car,” Sainz acknowledged.

“So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead. I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me.

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“Today is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red. We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”

Williams last achieved a podium finish in the bizarre 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which consisted of only a single lap behind the Safety Car. That was its first rostrum finish since 2017.

After scoring the 27th top-three finish of his career last weekend, Sainz said it’s “impossible to predict” when he and new team mate Alexander Albon will be in a position to fight for similar results.

“I think James [Vowles, team principal] said it the other day and calmed everyone’s expectations, that next year is going to be a tough year and a learning year before we prepare for the change of regulations in ‘26, where I believe the team is investing and the team is preparing to maximise that chance.

“What I can tell you is that I’m as determined as ever to help that team to be back where it belongs. I personally feel like I belong to be fighting for wins, podiums and top fives in Formula 1. I think I’ve proven it these last four years as a driver. I think I belong to that.

“But Williams cannot forget that Williams also belongs fighting for these top five and podium places. And together with the determination and the strength that I think we’re going to show together, the target is to get Williams and myself fighting for those positions in the near future.”

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After six seasons of podium finishes, Sainz likely faces a long wait for another after being dropped by Ferrari to make way for Lewis Hamilton. However he said he is determined to make a success of his move to Williams.

“How long it’s going to take, I cannot tell you,” he told media on Sunday. “But as I said before, I don’t think you guys understand and expect how motivated and how much I’m actually looking forward to that challenge.

“I know that’s one of my qualities, to help a team to perform better and to know which directions to follow. And that actually motivates me, having a full team behind Alex and me pushing all in the same direction to make a historic team like Williams competitive again. It’s a challenge that is tough to explain, but some people don’t understand how much I’m actually looking forward to it.”

Pictures: Sainz’s first test for Williams

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