Carlos Sainz ended the Formula 1 season with a muted Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but he believes 2025 silenced the doubts that greeted his Williams move.
Despite concluding the campaign with both cars outside the top 10, Williams was assured to be classified in the top five in the Constructors’ standings.
For Sainz, who finished one place lower than he started in 12th, the Grove-based squad’s competitiveness at the Yas Marina Circuit brought no surprises.
“Yeah, I think we just haven’t been very strong all weekend,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“And with a normal race with nothing happening, starting P12 with Lewis [Hamilton] and [Andrea Kimi] Antonelli behind, it looked always like it was going to be more like P13, P14.
“At the end, I think it was only Lewis that caught us in P8. But yeah, we were stuck in a one-stop train, and there was nothing exciting happening today.
“So for us, that we were the 12th fastest car, that’s more or less where we were going to finish.”
Having scored two podiums in Baku and Qatar as Williams amassed over 100 points, Sainz made it clear that the team’s progress in 2025 has validated his decision.
“My season? I think it’s a season to be proud of,” he expressed.
“I think many people, when I left [Ferrari to move to] Williams at the end of last year, doubted the move. There were doubts surrounding my future and the way I was going.
“I think after this year, it’s very clear to everyone that I’ve come to a project that is hungry to get back to winning ways. I’ve got back to podium ways earlier than expected.”
Sainz wants Williams to embrace heightened expectations
The Spaniard has acknowledged that his appearances on the rostrum have heightened the expectation on Williams heading into next season’s regulation changes.
“I think earlier than what people and even myself expected. Now the next target is to go back to winning ways, and I think I’m in the right place at the right time to do that.
“The only thing I do is urge the team to keep pushing. Keep giving it all because I see the potential. But in this sport, progress one year doesn’t mean progress the next year.
“So, you need to keep being hungry, keep being disciplined, and keep pushing harder than ever to make sure that next year we can do another step.”
Sainz participated in the annual post-season test that succeeds the campaign’s last race prior to conducting simulator sessions back at the team’s base in Grove.
“We have a test tomorrow – Tuesday, which I always consider important, because there’s no testing nowadays,” he highlighted.
“So, it’ll be an important test to assess next year’s final tyres.
“And then two more days in the simulator, Thursday, Friday. And Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, so three days. And that’s my season there.
“I’ll go back home, recover, come back in almost the beginning of January, because by the end we’re already testing next year’s car.
“I think we’re going to get a couple of weeks off. It’s not enough probably for what the body and the mind needs.
“But I think it’s the same for everyone, and I’m going to maximise it to try and come back next year stronger than this one.”
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