The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a wake-up call for Williams in terms of how much work remains to be done, but Carlos Sainz said it showed the team is a force to be reckoned with in the future. In fact, he said he welcomed the slump in the final race in some ways as a boost to offseason gains.
Sainz scored a surprise podium in Qatar a week before the final race of the season, but finished 13th at the Yas Marina circuit, missing out on points. Williams were uncompetitive in Abu Dhabi with Alex Albon finishing a few seconds behind his teammate, but Sainz sees that as a positive boost for the team heading into a short off-season.
“We started 12th and I think we were the 12th car,” Sainz said. “Nothing exciting happened in that race and we’re always going to finish there – of course because (Lewis) Hamilton came through the pack – 13th. I think we did everything we could to finish in the points.”
“We simply lacked the pace this weekend. I hope this is a good wake-up call for the team in case I come back to Abu Dhabi after the podium thinking I can be stronger. We were pretty weak this weekend and I’m actually happy that this happened. So we will go into the winter without sleep.”
Despite the disappointment in the final race, Sainz said the strong results later in the year showed how much potential Williams had ahead of the next technical regulation from 2026.
“Certainly, I think the first half of the season has been very challenging, but I would like to see all the frustration that we had in the first half go away. Even if we were faster, even if we adapted well, if that frustration means in every sense two podiums and one podium in the sprint, then I definitely welcome that frustration and the lack of points in the first half.”
“But in the second half, I think myself and Williams proved to everyone why we made this switch, what we’re trying to accomplish here and why I think we’re a force to be reckoned with for the future.”
“If you had told me last year that I would have gotten a podium and fifth place in the constructors’ championship like we did, I would have said so. Overall, I think we need to look at our first year at Williams very positively.”
