Williams have already left a optimistic impression on Carlos Sainz as he prepares for his debut F1 season with the crew.
Excessive-profile signing Sainz was the primary Williams driver to get behind the wheel of the crew’s model new 2025 automotive following its launch at Silverstone on Friday.
The four-time grand prix winner has joined from Ferrari after shedding his seat with the Scuderia to make means for the arrival of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Whereas little may be gleaned from such shakedown outings given the F1 testing restrictions at play and unrepresentative observe situations, Sainz was instantly inspired.
“Truthfully optimistic,” Sainz informed media together with Crash.web when requested for his first impressions of the FW47 after driving it for the primary time.
“I believe most significantly this can be a good present of Williams’ progress. To be daring sufficient to organize a take a look at the place all our foremost companions are right here and all of the media are invited to see the primary laps of the automotive, exhibits the belief Williams have of their new instruments to provide a automotive that’s going to be working nicely prefer it did at this time with none points.
“It’s a great signal, a great exhibiting to the skin work and I believe exhibits the progress that Williams is meaning to do. Pleased with the primary day.”
Sainz drove the primary laps within the FW47 at Silverstone
Sainz acquired to pattern Williams’ 2024 challenger within the post-season Abu Dhabi take a look at in December and admitted he was pleasantly shocked by how good the automotive was.
“First impressions are essential since you solely have as soon as probability to make a primary impression, and that was very optimistic,” he defined.
“In Abu Dhabi I discovered a automotive that was a bit higher than I anticipated. Clearly with some deficiencies in comparison with the automobiles I’ve been driving, however not massively far off.
“You possibly can inform the midfield has caught up quite a bit with the highest groups. That’s why in Abu Dhabi Q1 we have been all inside half a second of one another. To really feel that half a second over a full lap, you’re speaking about half a tenth per nook. It’s a must to actually good to really feel it.
“I did really feel some issues for certain and I can simply let you know that I discovered the crew filled with motivation, filled with power. Not straightforward after a triple header, Abu Dhabi take a look at, I usually simply see folks desirous to go residence.
“The power that I noticed that day, and the run plan that we managed to comply with to perfection and execute that day, was necessary to me. It was an important take a look at that I believe will assist going into Bahrain.”
Nevertheless, Sainz wouldn’t be drawn on his expectations for the upcoming marketing campaign at this early stage.
“Give me no less than Bahrain take a look at to see,” he insisted. “By way of outcomes it’s going to be extremely tight in opposition to the midfield. It doesn’t matter should you enhance seven tenths if the others enhance the identical, you’re nonetheless in the identical place the grid.
“I would like time. I would like time to analyse the place everyone seems to be in Bahrain after which see what we will do in Australia. One factor that’s necessary for me is to maintain the momentum up, the optimistic development and upward trajectory that Williams is on.
“We hold seeing progress in all areas and if we handle to maintain that momentum and hold driving the wave, that for me is a very powerful as a result of the massive alternative comes for Williams in ’26 greater than ’25.”
