Sainz's Biggest Impact at Williams Was Beyond the Podiums

Carlos Sainz's first season at Williams delivered two podiums, but his most significant contribution was elevating the team's culture and technical development process. His relentless work ethic, detailed feedback, and collaborative dynamic with Alex Albon have accelerated Williams's progress, creating a more competitive environment that both drivers credit for their strong 2025 campaign.

Why it matters:

Sainz's arrival marked a pivotal shift for Williams, moving beyond simply adding a proven race winner to fundamentally improving how the team operates. His influence on set-up development, simulation work, and team culture demonstrates how a driver's off-track contributions can be as valuable as on-track results, especially for a midfield team aiming to climb the grid.

The details:

• Cultural shift: Albon noted the partnership with Sainz created a "definitely different" culture and mindset compared to previous team dynamics, with both drivers receiving more equal treatment from the team.
• Technical collaboration: Sainz impressed with his ability to provide detailed feedback that helps engineers pinpoint specific balance issues, described by Team Principal James Vowles as "an ability to drag you through the data and take you exactly to a point where he's suffering with a balance issue."
• Amplified voice: Albon's previous concerns about car limitations in long corners gained renewed priority when Sainz arrived and struggled with the same characteristics, creating what Vowles calls "strength of knowledge" when both drivers identify identical issues.
• Pressure performer: Vowles discovered that Sainz "gets better" under pressure, a trait that became evident during his Williams tenure and contributed to his strong second-half performance.

By the numbers:

• Points progression: After 8 rounds, Albon led Sainz 42-12. After 16 rounds, the gap widened to 70-16. By season's end, Sainz closed dramatically to finish just nine points behind Albon (73-64).
• Second-half surge: Sainz scored 48 points across the final eight races while Albon managed just three, reversing their early-season fortunes.
• Williams improvement: The team jumped from 9th in 2024 with 17 points to 5th in 2025 with 137 points, capturing 21.1% of available points compared to just 2.6% the previous year.

What's next:

The Sainz-Albon partnership appears poised to continue driving Williams forward in 2026. Albon describes 2025 as his "best season yet" and acknowledges the benefits of working with an equally-matched, experienced teammate. While both drivers recognize the gap to the top four teams remains significant, their collaborative approach and improved team processes suggest Williams could challenge for more consistent points finishes and potentially additional podium opportunities in the coming season.