Carlos Sainz will experience his first home race as a Williams driver this weekend at the F1 Spanish GP. Ahead of his home grand prix, the Spanish driver expressed that the Barcelona circuit is not necessarily one that fits the FW47 well. However, Sainz still believes the team will be able to make some progress during the weekend.
“Probably, if I had to design a track for the FW47, it wouldn’t look like Barcelona. We don’t tend to like medium-speed, long-duration corners. But I’m hopeful. It’s a track where we can also show the progress that we’ve made over the last few years.” he stated in the press conference.
First home Grand Prix racing for Williams
During the fan forum ahead of this weekend, Carlos Sainz received many cheers and an overall amazing reception from the fans. When asked about what his home race means to him, the Williams driver expressed:
“I don’t know, it just always gives me good vibes. It puts you in a good mood, and the whole weekend makes you keep a smile on your face everywhere you go. Just hearing people cheer for you is the best feeling. To have a home race and get to have it every year—I feel very happy about it. And, yeah, I just want to go out there this weekend, enjoy it, and try to give them a good result and a good show.”
Despite the track not being ideal for the FW47, Sainz has historically done well at the Barcelona circuit. As it is a track he is quite familiar with, and enjoys racing, perhaps it will help Williams get a better result this weekend.
Williams have not reached Q3 in Barcelona since 2017
When asked about the performance of the FW47 around this track, Sainz expressed that the car appears as a “step better” in the areas the team previously struggled with and that they are “going to show better performance”.
He continued on to express that the performance over the past couple of years indicate that the track is not well suited for the team. However, Sainz still appears to be ready to fight for points this weekend.
“It’s a track where we can also show the progress that we’ve made over the last few years. Apparently, the team was P19 and P20 here last year. We haven’t reached Q3 since 2017, Q2 since 2021. That kind of speaks to the kind of track we’re facing this weekend. But I’m confident that this year’s car is a step better in all these corners and we’re going to show better performance.”
The turnaround of Williams
The Williams team have experienced troubles over the years, however recently they have begun to turn it around. Especially over the past two years, Williams have been able to build themselves up and establish themselves higher up in the midfield.
When asked about his season at Williams so far, Sainz appeared immensely happy with how he has settled in with the team. The Spanish driver also mentioned the team’s improvement over the last couple of years, and that fighting with the stronger teams was a happy surprise.
“I’m very happy with these first eight races. Happy with the results and the momentum the team is carrying. If you had asked me a year ago, when I signed the contract, that in some qualifyings we would be only three tenths off pole, and beating a Ferrari or Red Bull or Mercedes—I would have definitely signed the contract even earlier and even happier. The team is on a very strong trajectory.”
Not solely about the points
Additionally, the Williams driver appeared to be more focused on the feeling of the car, rather than solely thinking of the points.
“My adaptation process is going well, even though I don’t have all the points in the championship that I think my performance should reflect. Points is not something I’m caring so much about this year. I’m caring more about the speed I have with the car, the way I feel with the car, and how we can improve both the handling of the car and how we handle weekends, strategy, and execution. That’s been a bit of our weaker point. That’s why we don’t have many points in the championship. But as long as the speed is there and I’m quick with the car, this will come with more races.” he stated.
Despite the Williams team’s double point finish at the Monaco GP, neither driver seemed satisfied with the weekend. The Spanish driver was not happy about the new pit stop rule as it made it easier for teams to “manipulate the race”. Hopefully, the Spanish GP will offer more enjoyment for Sainz, as well as another double point finish for the team.
