Carlos Sainz has tempered expectations surrounding Williams’ prospects in the 2025 Formula 1 campaign amid McLaren’s claim that it could get amongst the leading group.
Williams’ pre-season preparations have been much more seamless in comparison to the tribulations that had a huge bearing on its competitiveness during the 2024 season.
Having conducted a shakedown with the brand-new FW47 at Silverstone, the Grove-based squad sustained a productive time in the sole pre-season test prior to the season.
That culminated in Sainz ending the running with the benchmark lap time over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who has also changed teams having taken the Spaniard’s place.
Sainz’s presence at the sharp end prompted McLaren boss Andrea Stella to pinpoint Williams as the team which appears best placed to expand the fight at the front.
But while he has admitted that his new side has made a step, Sainz has denied that it will be enough to see Williams battling at the sharp end over the upcoming campaign.
When told that his “friend” Stella, whom he worked with at McLaren, had said that Williams could make it a “top five” in 2025, Sainz quipped to media including Motorsport Week: “I think that’s why you call him my friend. We always speak well about one another because I think we wish each other well.
“In his head I think he also would like to see Williams up there this year, but I think it’s honestly speaking a bit too soon for Williams yet.
“I don’t think we’ve done the necessary step to be fighting with the top teams this year.
“For sure we’ve improved the car and we’re going in the right direction, but first of all it’s too early days to tell.
“Obviously from yesterday you could see I was trying and I was trying to go quick, which in testing is not normally the case, and I’m sure the top teams are not trying yet.”
Testing times can be ‘manipulated’
Sainz highlighted how the variance in engine modes and fuel loads ensures that teams can “manipulate” their lap times to appear quicker than they are during testing.
“You can manipulate your lap time by five seconds, so P1, one-tenth or two-tenths ahead, it means nothing to us,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sainz also believes that such uncertain variables mean that it would be premature to suggest that Williams is heading a competitive midfield contingent.
Pressed on whether he harboured confidence that Williams is leading the group behind last season’s top four teams, Sainz responded: “No.
“Already today you can see Haas, Aston and VCARB [Racing Bulls] doing some strong long runs and it shows it’s going to be tight still.
“Because it’s within two-tenths in testing, you cannot tell who’s taken out the last five, 10 kilos of fuel or not. And 10 kilos is four-tenths.
“So that’s the tricky bit. So yeah, it’s impossible.”
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