Carlos Sainz only scored 13 points in his first half-season as a Williams driver. He arrived at the Belgian Grand Prix 15th in the world championship.

Broadly, it’s been a successful season for James Vowles’ squad. They’re fifth in the constructors’, having already amassed their best points tally since 2017.

Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon sits eighth in the drivers’ with more than triple the points. He and his team occupy the highest available positions behind the top-four teams.

There have been some highs for the new signing, most notably in qualifying. Sainz is responsible for three of Williams’ best four qualifying performances, all of them on the third row of the grid.

Carlos Sainz says Williams haven’t been good enough operationally this season

Sainz has suffered two DNFs this season, and he also failed to make the start of the Austrian GP last month. When Vowles snapped him up, he knew he’d drive up standards.

The Spaniard had spent four seasons with Ferrari, winning four Grands Prix. Williams intend to be challenging the Scuderia within a couple of years.

Sainz was one of the standout drivers in the Sprint segment of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. He qualified sixth and held position in the 15th lap race, collecting three points.

It was noteworthy, then, that he spoke bluntly about the team’s failings in his interview with DAZN afterwards. Sainz saw his running in the opening practice session limited by another reliability issue.

🗣️ “Son errores pequeños que hacemos entre todos. No estamos operando al nivel que hay que operar en F1”

🔊 “Ritmo no me falta, solo necesito que me dejen de pasar cosas”

Carlos Sainz señala los aspectos a mejorar tras la carrera al sprint en Bélgica#BelgicaDAZNF1 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/apdE3MtsMn

— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) July 26, 2025

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“They’re small mistakes we all make together,” he said. “We’re not operating at the level needed in F1. We see that other teams have far fewer problems.

“It’s really just silly problems, that we have to keep improving as a team and we will. But yes, we have to know when strange things aren’t happening, we’re there in the fight and we have to keep fighting

“We’re driven by results, and they are the only thing that counts. But if I’ve seen anything this year, it’s that I’m certainly not lacking in rhythm, and I just need to stop problems from happening to us.”

Sainz went on to qualify 15th for the main Grand Prix, the fifth time in six races he’s missed out on Q3.

Alex Albon disagrees with Carlos Sainz on explanation for disappointing Williams results

Albon recorded three non-finishes in a row between Spain and Austria, but he was able to maximise his results during the team’s purple patch.

Speaking in a recent interview, Albon said he was more comfortable than Sainz in dealing with Williams’ limitations. The latter naturally arrived with higher standards and has tried to guide the engineers in his direction.

While Sainz has been outspoken in the press, Albon has tended to be most critical over the team radio. Williams have formed arguably the strongest line-up in F1’s midfield, but that has put them under added pressure.

Williams haven’t won a Grand Prix since 2012, while Spa also marks the site of their last podium – an extraordinary P2 for George Russell four years ago.