Carlos Sainz has revealed that the Williams Formula 1 car feels “completely different” due to the variance in engine braking compared to the Ferrari.
The Spaniard explained that he has had to change his driving style to adapt to the change in engine manufacturer.
Moving from Ferrari’s power unit to the Mercedes engine used by Williams has presented unique challenges, not only for Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton, who made the opposite switch earlier this season by joining Ferrari from Mercedes, has also been candid about the struggles he encountered adapting.
The seven-time F1 champion highlighted major differences in the car’s feel and handling during the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, particularly the heavy use of engine braking.
Hamilton explained that the SF-25 demands significant engine braking to turn the car, something unfamiliar to him after 12 years of driving Mercedes cars, leading him to describe the Ferrari car as “alien”.
Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sainz went into further detail as to why the shift in engine supplier creates such a problem for F1 drivers.
“Engine braking? Can I draw it and explain it to you in a computer? Because here just speaking about it obviously I’m not going to go into detail but it’s completely different,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“The way you use the gears, the downshift and how it goes into engine braking, the transition from the brake migration to the engine braking is different. You have to change your driving style for sure.”
Sainz optimistic results will reflect pace soon
This season has been one of many ups and downs for Sainz so far, the four-time Grand Prix winner being undermined by various problems on his side of the garage.
Yet he added that despite the adaptation period, he feels that he has made good progress.
“For me, it’s important that even if I’m taking my time to adapt to the team and the car… I don’t think I took my time to adapt to the car, I think I was quite quick straight away – it’s just getting results and putting things together that has been a struggle since the beginning of the year,” the 30-year-old said.
“Still in Race 12, it doesn’t seem like we’re getting any better at putting things together, but it will come at some point.
“In the meantime, I’ll just keep my head down and I’m pretty sure the result is about to come.”
Williams Team Principal James Vowles has described the situation as a “shared frustration” over missed opportunities and inconsistent results in Sainz’s debut season with the team.
He added: “He’s incredibly quick, as you can see, when everything runs smoothly. We’re just not able to get it smooth.”
Sainz’s best results this season have been two eighth-place finishes, in Jeddah and Imola, but he still trails team-mate Alex Albon by 38 points in the standings.
READ MORE – Why Williams harbours ‘shared frustration’ with Carlos Sainz over 2025 F1 setbacks
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