Carlos Sainz has revealed that his debut experience in a Williams Formula 1 car was “better than expected” when he drove the FW46 during the 2024 post-season test.
Ferrari’s willingness to agree to a premature release enabled Sainz to conduct his maiden track outing with his new team at the annual season-ending Abu Dhabi test.
The Spaniard had admitted he used his last laps with Ferrari in the previous race weekend – where he came second – to remember details that could help Williams.
Whilst Sainz had contributed to Ferrari coming close to winning the Constructors’ Championship, Williams was rooted to ninth place as it endured a tumultuous campaign.
But despite that large gap in the standings, Sainz encountered a positive surprise as the difference between Ferrari’s SF-24 and the FW46 wasn’t as vast as he had anticipated.
Asked to recall his initial impressions about the Williams car he drove in Abu Dhabi, Sainz told media including Motorsport Week at the shakedown of the team’s FW47: “Honestly speaking, I think first impressions are very important, because you only have one chance to make a first impression, and that was very positive.
“Because at Williams, in Abu Dhabi, I found a car that was honestly a bit better than I thought, or better than I expected, obviously with some deficiencies compared to the cars that I’ve been driving, but not massively far off.
“You can tell the midfield has caught up a lot with the top teams, and that’s why in Abu Dhabi Qualifying 1, we were all within half a second of one another, so to feel that half a second over a full lap, we’re talking about half a tenth per corner.
“Am I good enough to feel half a tenth per corner? You need to be really good to feel it. I did feel some things [that were different], for sure.
Sainz surprised by ‘energy’ at Williams
Sainz admitted that he was stunned to see the enthusiasm that remained inside the team despite a challenging campaign that had concluded with three successive races.
“I can just tell you that I found a team full of motivation, full of energy, not easy after a triple header; Abu Dhabi test, I normally see people just wanting to go home,” he added.
“The energy that I saw that day, and the run plan that we managed to follow to perfection and execute a good day was important to me, and it was a very important test that I think is going to help going into Bahrain.”
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