Whereas the largest transfer within the Method 1 driver switch market final season concerned Lewis Hamilton transferring from Mercedes to Ferrari, the second-biggest transfer concerned the driving force whose seat Hamilton took on the Scuderia. With Hamilton transferring to Ferrari that made Carlos Sainz Jr. the largest free agent of the final F1 hiring cycle, and the Spanish driver finally signed with Williams for this season.
Nonetheless, the outcomes haven’t been instant for Sainz together with his new group. He has only one level on the yr, because of a tenth-place classification on the Chinese language Grand Prix. That consequence got here solely after three drivers — together with Hamilton — who completed forward of him have been disqualified.
Nonetheless, Sainz believes higher outcomes are coming. Talking on the FIA Press Convention forward of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Sainz outlined how the educational curve is tough as he adjusts to a brand new group, however expressed confidence because the grid returns to Bahrain lower than two months after pre-season testing was held on the similar monitor.
“Nicely, for those who count on to see one of the best of Carlos Sainz in a Williams within the third race and in a brand new automotive, then yeah, you don’t perceive the game very nicely, or you already know not less than how lengthy it would take for a driver to really get absolutely on top of things with the automotive and to totally perceive the place the final tenth and a half or final two tenths of every automotive lies,” started Sainz on Thursday.
“Trying again on the first three races, I feel I nonetheless haven’t but put a full weekend collectively. The pace has been there—in Australia and Suzuka. In China, I had a little bit of an off weekend by way of many various causes,” continued Sainz. “However to be trustworthy, in Australia and Suzuka I feel I used to be fairly fast, particularly on condition that I’m nonetheless new to the automotive. To handle to be shut or in the identical tenth as Alex [Albon] all over quali, I feel it’s a superb begin to the season.
“I simply want to ensure now we begin doing much less errors on the subject of executing the weekend and maintain enhancing my pace as a result of clearly I consider the pace nonetheless—we are able to enhance it just a little bit. However yeah, we aren’t so far as it appears. I really feel like we simply must put a full weekend collectively and it’ll come.”
Sainz additionally outlined how he was blissful to be coming again to Bahrain, the location of pre-season testing. The Spanish driver topped the general timing sheets when the three days of testing got here to a detailed, and whereas testing knowledge is at all times taken with a grain of salt, that was an indication that Sainz was on strong footing at Williams.
Whereas the outcomes have but to comply with, Sainz referred to as returning to Bahrain “helpful” given how he has felt within the FW47.
“Very helpful, particularly as a result of right here in testing I felt very snug with the automotive,” mentioned Sainz when requested if returning to Bahrain was helpful for him and his confidence. “Truly, it’s a steadiness and a automotive that I’ve been wanting ahead to concentrating on within the latest races.
“Given I used to be not as blissful in China, I regarded again on the [testing data] to a setup that we have been working right here and I used to be eager along with the group to try to put the automotive someplace nearer to the way in which it felt in Bahrain take a look at as a result of there I felt like I used to be on top of things and driving pretty naturally and I didn’t must assume a lot whereas driving,” added Sainz.
The driving force described how he needed to assume extra throughout each the Chinese language Grand Prix and the Japanese Grand Prix, whereas this week provides him an opportunity to simply drive.
“Whereas in China, I keep in mind, and even in Suzuka, I’ve been having to actually break my head to know find out how to drive the automotive and to extract all of the efficiency from it,” added Sainz. “However yeah, you first must undergo these weekends the place you could have a bit extra of a difficult time to know that and reverse engineer that. That takes time, you already know.”
To listen to the driving force inform it, each the pre-season take a look at in Abu Dhabi following the 2024 marketing campaign, and his pre-season testing on the finish of February, noticed him snug within the Williams equipment.
He hopes to get again to that consolation this week in Bahrain.
“I felt that was the case in Abu Dhabi take a look at final yr and in Bahrain take a look at this yr,” mentioned Sainz on Thursday. “I didn’t must assume whereas driving and I felt like as quickly as I jumped within the automotive was fast—really faster even than what I assumed I might be. I used to be surprisingly fast in my very own expectations.
“After which we went into Australia, the steadiness modified a bit. The tarmac adjustments fairly a bit from Bahrain to Australia, China and Japan with all these resurfaces which were achieved and the automotive simply feels utterly totally different,” mentioned Sainz.
“The through-corner steadiness is totally different and also you’re only a bit caught on ‘what do I do now to my driving?’ or ‘what do I do now to the automotive?’ to go that yet another tenth faster.
“As I mentioned, I used to be not far, I used to be inside a tenth. That’s the place you begin digging into the information and also you begin working together with your engineers,” added the latest Williams driver. “However it is advisable to undergo this complete loop, complete course of, to really get to conclusions and understandings, and that takes time and expertise and a few races.
“However as I mentioned, I’m calm, I’m blissful, and we’re getting there.”