Carlos Sainz has stated that he will be looking for race wins in the 2026 F1 season after a strong start with Williams in 2025.
Asked about his progress in the team so far, having left Scuderia Ferrari at the end of last year, Sainz said he had a “season to be proud of”. The Spanish driver finished his first season with Williams with 64 points, scoring two podium finishes in Azerbaijan and Qatar.
“I think it’s a season to be proud of. I think many people, when I left for Williams at the end of last year, doubted the move. There were doubts surrounding my future and the way I was going,” he said, speaking in the print media pen after the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP.
Carlos Sainz: Williams must continue to be hungry to get back to the top of Formula 1
Sainz praised Williams for its desire to perform at the top of F1, suggesting he believes the team will be in a position to fight for wins in 2026. Williams has not had a race win since 2012, when Pastor Maldonado secured victory at the Spanish GP. The British outfit finished 5th in the constructors’ standings in 2025 – its strongest result since 2017.
Sainz continued: “I think after this year it’s very clear to everyone that I’ve come to a project that is hungry to get back to winning ways.
“I’ve got back to podium ways earlier than expected, I think earlier than what people and even myself expected. Now the next target is to go back to winning ways and I think I’m in the right place at the right time to do that.
“The only thing I do is urge the team to keep pushing, keep giving it all because I see the potential. But in this sport, progress one year doesn’t mean progress the next year. You need to keep being hungry, keep being disciplined and keep pushing harder than ever to make sure that next year we can do another step.”
Sainz: Winter break “not enough” for F1 drivers
The 2026 F1 season will begin officially at the Australian GP in March, but teams begin private testing as early as January. Like in 2024 and 2025, the 2026 season will feature 24 races around the world – the most there has ever been. F1 has previously come under fire for the amount of action it packs into a season, with critics arguing it’s too taxing on drivers and team employees.
“I think we’re going to get a couple of weeks off,” said Sainz. “It’s not enough probably for what the body and the mind needs. But I think it’s the same for everyone and I’m going to maximise it to try and come back next year stronger than this one.”
