Carlos Sainz has written a special letter to Williams staff after his first season with the team in F1 2025, it has emerged.<\/p>\n
Sainz joined Williams ahead of the F1 2025 season after being forced to make way for Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, at Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz pens letter to Williams staff after successful F1 2025 season<\/p>\n
While Hamilton failed to score a podium finish across his first season with his new team, Sainz came away with two by finishing third in Azerbaijan and Qatar. He equalled the result in the United States Grand Prix sprint race.<\/p>\n
Sainz\u2019s contributions helped Williams to fifth place in the constructors\u2019 championship, the Grove-based team\u2019s best result since the 2017 season.<\/p>\n
Images have circulated on social media of Williams staff being presented with gift bags, which each contained an end-of-season letter penned by Sainz.<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n In the note \u2013 described by the Spaniard as a \u201csmall gesture of appreciation\u201d and \u201ca reminder\u201d of what the team achieved in 2025 \u2013 Sainz reflected on a \u201cremarkable\u201d first season with the team.<\/p>\n And he reminded his colleagues that \u201cthere is still a long road ahead\u201d before Williams realises its \u201cultimate goal\u201d of winning again in F1.<\/p>\n Sainz wrote: \u201cDear Williams Family,<\/p>\n \u201cAs we close out a remarkable first season together, I want to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for the incredible welcome I have received since day one at Grove.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I was joining a very special team, but our first year together has exceeded all my expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cThis specially designed print is a small gesture of appreciation, and I hope it serves as a reminder of what we accomplished together during 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is thanks to your dedication and commitment that we have been able to achieve our most ambitious goal this year: securing P5 in the constructors\u2019 championship, while also having a bit of fun along the way with the podiums in Baku and Qatar, and the sprint podium in Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cThose highlights are not mine they are a direct result of your efforts and our teamwork, and I truly hope you feel as proud as I do of every point we have scored.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have laid solid foundations for the upcoming season, and I cannot wait to go racing again.<\/p>\n \u201cBut make no mistake, there is still a long road ahead before we achieve our ultimate goal of returning this team to its winning ways, to where it belongs.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter our first year together, I have no doubt that we have all the right ingredients to get there, and you can be sure I will give my absolute best to represent you on and off the track to the best of my abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cBe proud of what we are building together, enjoy a well-deserved rest with your loved ones, and see you in 2026 with our batteries fully recharged and ready to go again.<\/p>\n \u201cVamos!\u201d<\/p>\n How Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton fared at their new teams in F1 2025<\/p>\n F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n Williams is expected to make considerable steps forward under the new F1 2026 rules, which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.<\/p>\n Sainz revealed in October that Williams\u2019 use of Mercedes engines was one of the \u201cmain reasons\u201d behind his decision<\/a> to join the team after being forced to make way for Hamilton at Ferrari.<\/p>\n Hamilton wrote frequently to Ferrari all season having revealed in July that he has been\u00a0sending a series of \u201cdocuments\u201d to Maranello<\/a>\u00a0in an attempt to turn the team\u2019s situation around.<\/p>\n The documents are believed to contain suggestions to improve the car and the team, including improved communication between different departments and better execution of race weekends.<\/p>\n Hamilton told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix that his willingness to take a hand-on approach is driven by his \u201crefusal\u201d to follow in the footsteps of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, established champions who failed to win the title with Ferrari.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, former Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene aired reservations about Hamilton\u2019s approach<\/a>, arguing that it is a sign that the relationship between team and driver is \u201cover\u201d when \u201ca driver starts playing engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n Arrivabene, who famously told Vettel to stop interfering with off-track matters and focus on the driving during Ferrari\u2019s winless 2016 season, told Sky Italy:\u00a0\u201cSebastian Vettel also sent such dossiers. He wrote, spoke and shared everything.<\/p>\n On the value of Vettel\u2019s documents to the team, he added: \u201cAlmost useless.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to say anything bad about Sebastian, but everyone should mind their own business.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a driver starts playing engineer, that\u2019s it. Then it\u2019s really over.<\/p>\n \u201cDrivers spend two or three days in the simulator and get a general impression, but the devil is in the details.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the car is on the track, the driver must provide relevant feedback so that the engineers can make targeted improvements \u2013 especially when there is potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n