Unheard team radio communications from the Chinese Grand Prix reveal a promising message from Carlos Sainz to his new team, Williams. Sainz, who has recently transitioned from Ferrari to Williams, assured his team that he is capable of much more speed after facing a rocky start to the F1 2025 season.
Carlos Sainz, despite his admirable accolades as a four-time race champion, struggled to keep pace with his teammate, Alex Albon, in the early stages of the new championship. After a premature exit due to a crash in the wet conditions of Melbourne, Sainz failed to surpass Albon in Shanghai, lagging by three-tenths of a second.
However, Sainz’s resilience shone through when he scored his first point as a Williams driver, after being uplifted to the 10th position. This came as a result of the disqualification of Ferraris driven by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, which pushed Albon into 7th place.
The struggle was real for Sainz in Shanghai, as he trailed 20 seconds behind Albon at the finish line. However, a radio conversation that didn’t make it to the public ear reveals the Spaniard’s assurance to his team. He pledged his potential to deliver much higher speeds, while also acknowledging the need for significant work to reach his top form at Williams.
Following the race, Sainz’s engineer acknowledged the challenges but held a positive outlook for future races. He expressed that despite some misfortune, the car’s pace was encouraging and they would build on that for the forthcoming race in Japan.
Sainz responded, acknowledging the improvement from the previous day, but also stressed that there was a considerable amount of work yet to be done. He strongly affirmed his belief in his abilities, stating, “I think I am a lot faster than this.” His engineer echoed this confidence in his response, assuring Sainz they would work on this together.
Looking back at the pre-season test in Bahrain, Sainz hinted at a challenging start with Williams, given his limited preparation. He advocated for an expanded pre-season testing schedule, noting that the current single three-day winter test was inadequate.
Sainz pointed out the disadvantage this puts not only for seasoned drivers like him but also for rookies who would find the start of the season particularly challenging. The Spaniard suggested that the money invested in simulators could be better used in extending the testing days to eight or ten, allowing the teams to choose their testing locations.
He further proposed that the budget cap should include the number of testing days and simulators, allowing teams to decide where they wish to spend their money. Sainz argued that real experience gained on the track with the actual car for the year far outweighs simulator training, even if they are deemed good by engineers. He concluded by urging F1 to consider improving the testing process, to the benefit of rookies, teams, and the sport as a whole.
