MIAMI, Fla. — Williams enjoys a strong start to the 2025 Formula 1 season.
According to Alexander Albon, the main reason is how narrow the gap between himself and his new teammate Carlos Senn Jr. That narrow gap is partly due to his new team and his ability to speed up quickly with his new car.
Talk to media including SB Nationa signing at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday showed him and his team “moving in the right direction” after just five races.
“I had a good weekend after some bad weekends, so I need to learn how to apply good things, keep the good things, and keep on working on the bad things,” Sainz said.
“And it feels like this week [off] It helped me to understand that. I caught up with the engineers there a bit, but yeah, it seems we're moving in the right direction.
Still, Sainz admitted that there may be some additional “bumps” along the way, despite the team moving in the right direction.
“I told them, but I think I've said it many times. I said there are some bumps along the way in the adaptation process and we still have some bumps.
“Five races aren't enough to discover what you might capture your strengths, weaknesses and surprises, but I think we're heading in the right direction, and that's what matters.”
Sainz also outlined the media that media adjustments are still in progress as he brings life to Williams after driving Ferrari for four seasons.
“Every weekend I'm still trying something different with the setup. On my last weekend, it seems like I tried something that worked,” says Sainz. “If you keep ensuring that this philosophy is applied at some point, you need to try something that doesn’t work, so you need more examples of that and maybe there isn’t something that could have worked here.
“And in driving, I think there are conditions that I've never been with this car yet. There are runways and curbs and bumps I haven't experienced with this car yet.”
Perhaps the most interesting comment from Sainz came when he spoke about his transition to Williams, dealt with by translation Lewis Hamilton (his successor to Ferrari). Asked about Hamilton's recent struggle, they said they were no surprise given the huge changes drivers endure when switching teams.
“I'm not surprised at all,” Sainz began. “For me, I was expecting it from myself and with him.
“There's no secret about this sport, when we stand up to the two teammates we have, like Alex and Charles. [Leclerc] They know the team on the flip side. They're already performing at the maximum that the car can run, so you can only do it the same or the same as them.
“It can't arrive suddenly, it can't be two or three times faster because it's impossible.
“They are already at the limits of the car, so when you jump to a new team and expect yourself and everyone around you to be at that level, you know, it will take time and there are no secrets.
“They know a lot more than you.”
Like Ferrari's situation, Size admitted that Williams might require patience too.
“The faster the process, the faster it is, the better it is,” added Sainz. “But for some drivers, it may take longer or shorter. Lewis had a great weekend in China. He appears to have a little more trouble after that, but it will take some time for the new driver to adjust.
“It depends on how natural a car will become to you, so that's a tough question. It depends on how natural your relationship with the engineer is and how it comes.
How long does this process take? According to Sainz, it could cause bleeding in 2026.
“I've always said I know cars well, and it takes at least six months or a year to experience everything with that car,” Sainz added. “That doesn’t mean you can’t perform that year.
“You can perform at 100% or 99%, and 99% may still be pretty good.
“But certainly there's 100%.
“There's something you need for six months that I say will experience.”
Williams arrived in Miami with 25 points and is sitting fifth in the rankings.
Imagine what it would look like when Sainz gets the time he's looking for to adjust.
