Carlos Sainz hopes Williams’ point-less finish in the Abu Dhabi season finale serves as a “wake-up call” for the team, with the the Spaniard believing it is the best catalyst to take into the off season.
Williams had a successful 2025 season overall, with a fifth-place finish in the Teams’ Championship to celebrate, while Sainz also claimed two podium finishes – plus a further top-three finish in the Austin Sprint.
With the team having switched focus to their 2026 car relatively early, some of those late results were achieved despite having minimal upgrades to the FW47. Sainz finished third in Baku and in Qatar for his two podiums in his debut season for the Grove-based team, but his year ended with a P13 in Abu Dhabi.
“We were starting 12th and we were the 12th fastest car and with nothing exciting happening in the race we were always going to finish there – with [Lewis] Hamilton making it through the pack to [drop us to] P13,” Sainz explained.
“Everyone else, we just did everything we could to finish in the points but there was simply not enough pace this weekend, which I hope it serves as a good wake-up call to the team, that after a podium you come back in Abu Dhabi thinking you are going to be strong and we were quite weak this weekend.
“I’m actually happy this happened, so we go into the winter without falling asleep.”
After losing his 2025 Ferrari seat to Hamilton, Sainz had options on the F1 grid to choose from with Williams boss James Vowles successfully persuading him to pick the Grove-based squad as they plot their way back towards the front of the grid.
With their P5 finish this season showing that they are heading in the right direction, Sainz reflected on his first Williams campaign, acknowledging there were plenty of tough times early on.
“For sure, it has been a very challenging first half to the season,” he said.
“But I hope all that frustration that I got from that first half, as I said, even if we were quick, even if the adaptation was good, if all that frustration meant that then two podiums were meant to come and one podium in the Sprint, I definitely welcome that frustration and that lack of points in the first half.
“I think in the second half [of the season] I proved to everyone why we made this switch, and what we are trying to achieve here and why I think we are a force to be reckoned with for the future.
“If you had told me last year we would have scored those podiums and be P5 in the Constructors’ like we are, I would have taken it. And overall, we have to take it as a very positive first year with Williams.”
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