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F1 UnlockedWilliamsCarlos Sainz

TECH WEEKLY: Why a key Ferrari trait is holding Sainz back at Williams – and the ‘muscle memory’ he’s now having to work to undo

Special ContributorMark Hughes
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 20: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving the (55) Williams FW47 MercedesJEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 20: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving the (55) Williams FW47 Mercedes leads Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW47 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Five races in, Williams currently hold the ‘best of the rest’ tag, lying fifth in the Teams’ standings behind the big four teams: McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

It represents a very significant improvement on last year as Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz have taken a solid 25 points between them. But in trying to close the performance gap to the big teams, there are clear limitations to their car in its current guise, something which the arrival of Sainz from Ferrari has helped define.

“One of the things Carlos finds very different to the Ferrari is that they could carry a lot more ‘combined’ into certain corners,” explained Williams Team Principal James Vowles in Japan, “and that’s not an area we have worked on over the years.”

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