Carlos Sainz leaving Ferrari for Williams in 2025 was always set to see him fade from the front of the field, but it has even resulted in the Spaniard’s worst run since 2016.
The 30-year-old was forced to move from Maranello after Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton. So, Sainz signed with Williams on an initial two-year contract to help the Grove-based squad get set for the 2026 F1 regulations, which might be their ticket to return to the front of the field.
While Sainz remains the last Ferrari driver to win a Grand Prix with his victory in Mexico City in October, Williams have not won a race since the 2012 Spanish GP. Williams have also only made 16 podiums in the last 13 years, and not since the rained-off one-lap 2021 Belgian GP.
Sainz joined Williams with 27 podiums to his name, between P3 in the 2019 Brazilian GP for McLaren and P2 in the 2024 Las Vegas GP for Ferrari. But the Madrid native’s best results at Williams through the first 14 rounds of the 2025 F1 season are P8 in Saudi Arabia and Imola.
Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesCarlos Sainz feels Williams’ focus on the 2026 F1 regulations is costing them in 2025
Sainz has even now gone four races without scoring a point in a Grand Prix for the first time since a six-round scoreless spell for Toro Rosso between the 2016 German GP to Japanese GP. His only points from the past four rounds came from his P6 finish in the F1 Sprint at Spa.
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CategoryAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2025 points5416Grand Prix results*94Grand Prix qualifying86Grand Prix wins00Grand Prix poles00Grand Prix podiums00Best finish5th8thRetirements32Did not start01Fastest laps00Grand Prix points finishes96Sprint results21Sprint Qualifying21Sprint wins00Sprint poles00Sprint podiums00The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
*Both drivers did not finish the Austrian Grand Prix
The three points Sainz scored with P6 in the Sprint at Spa also took him to 16 for the season so far, leaving the Spaniard sitting 16th in the F1 drivers’ standings at the summer break. His Williams teammate Alex Albon ranks eighth in the championship with 54 points this season.
Albon started the season strongly with points in seven of the first eight rounds, including P5 finishes in Australia, Miami and Imola. But he has scored points in just two of the six Grands Prix since, and Sainz feels Williams’ focus on the 2026 F1 regulations is impacting their form.
Sainz noted, via quotes by Motorsport.com: “The problem is that I think we’ve fallen a little short on development.
“So, for the second half of the season, I’m probably just going to look for consistency with the set-up, consistency with the car and just making sure we run clean weekends.”
Carlos Sainz has paid the price for Williams’ regression and operational errors
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images
Sainz has paid the price for Williams’ regression compared to their rivals, with Aston Martin and Sauber closing up in the F1 constructors’ standings after bringing upgrades to their cars at a rate that the Grove outfit have chosen not to match in order to focus on the 2026 rules.
The Spaniard has also paid the price for reliability problems and operational errors. Sainz did not start the 2025 Austrian GP when his FW47 caught fire in the pit lane after it developed a brake problem amid the formation lap. Austria was the start of his four-round point-less run.
Sainz feels Williams are ‘not operating at the level needed in F1’ operationally, as well, after calling his team out at the Belgian GP for the ‘silly problems’ they keep making and cost him results. Williams had frustrated the Madrid native at the Belgian GP as he only qualified P15.