FORMULA 1 QATAR GP LEWIS HAMILTON RUMOURS

Carlos Sainz celebrates with Alex Albon and the Williams garage. Photo: RacePictures

Sainz reveals how Williams is becoming the dark horse for 2026

17:22, 02 Dec

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byDrew Murphy

Carlos Sainz’s podium sealed a P5 for Williams in the Constructors’ Championship, their best finish since 2017.

The question remains, can Willaims build on this years success and improve further in 2026?

Last season, Williams finished ninth, with only 17 total points.

They have had a massive turnaround this year, scoring 137 points so far and 45 points ahead of their nearest rivals.

After Sainz’s heroic performance for Williams in Qatar, he revealed how the team was able to go from a bleak weekend to a memorable one.

He said: “I had a few ideas for the team to try and simulate, or the team came up with some other ideas and together we put together.

“I think, a car that honestly since the first lap was a lot better than what we thought.

“Already in the simulator it felt OK, but you never really trust the simulator fully.

Photo: RacePictures

“You say, no, it cannot be this good. And suddenly from the first lap of FP1, I think I was trading P1s, P2s, and P3s with these guys, and I was like, yeah, this might be working.

“And then we did some good progress through the weekend.

“Then we executed a really good race, with a good start from P7 to P5, great pit stops, great strategy, great management of the gaps, and the tyre management that we have to do with cars that are a bit quicker than us around us, you know, they’re forcing us to push on that front left tyre, which here is never easy.

“We managed that really well, and that brought us the P3.”

You need to learn from mistakes

He dismissed that he regretted the team had not made those changes earlier as without failing you cant improve.

He continued: “It’s not possible because in order to make them, you need to know the car, and you need to try multiple things, trial and error.

“You need to get it wrong many weekends to know that this doesn't work, to then try the other direction that might work.

Photo: RacePictures

“And the other direction sometimes doesn't work either. And you need to try a completely different thing and you make another mistake.

“So, I always say the same thing: it takes time. When you switch teams, it really, really takes time – and races. There is no testing.

“You need to try things on a race weekend and you need your first 10-15 races to understand these kinds of things—your simulator sessions to try things.

“You need the team to be brave. You need also people to be bold and come up with ideas.

“And in the end, it always pays off. There are no secrets in this sport. I think hard work and good understanding, good conclusions always pay off.

“And to be honest, the second half of the year, we are performing at a very high level.”

Hard work pays off

Before the Qatar Grand Prix, both Sainz and Alex Albon downplayed their expectations, saying the track characteristics did not suit their car.

However, both drivers made it into the top 10 in Sprint Qualifying, and Sainz reached Q3 in Qualifying.

The P3 in Qatar made it back-to-back top five finishes after his P5 in Laz Vegas.

carlos-sainz-alex-albon-mexican-grand-prix

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon at the Mexican Grand Prix. Photo: RacePictures

Albon who has struggled to score points recently secured many points for Williams earlier in the season with four P5 finishes.

Sainz reiterated how proud he was of his team and the hard work they have put in to get the best out of the car and achieve P5 in the Constructors’ Championship.

He added: “I'm extremely proud of the team because we've also struggled a bit at the beginning of the year with race execution, team calls, quali execution.

“This weekend, everyone's done a perfect job. Also, the pit stops were perfect. Everyone was perfect, and it's exactly what we all needed.”

Next year, with the FIA’s new regulations coming into play, who knows where Williams can find themselves.

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