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…
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