Carlos Sainz is halfway through his first season as a Williams driver after moving from Ferrari over the winter.

On paper, it looked like a backwards step, given that he was winning races with the Maranello outfit, and he would be joining a team that scored just 17 points in 2024. However, James Vowles has been working on an exciting project at Williams behind the scenes and has pulled off a huge coup by signing Sainz.

With the primary focus being on the 2026 F1 regulations, the Grove outfit are hoping to push to the front of the field. With Sainz on board, Vowles has noticed a ‘palpable’ change off the track, and while there have been significant improvements on it, the Spaniard has been struggling.

Williams are sitting fifth in the standings with 70 points, but Sainz has only scored 16 of them, as he sits 16th in the drivers’ championship. He has had a tough time adjusting to his new surroundings and the FW47, while teammate Alex Albon has regularly challenged the top five.

The team have regressed in recent races, with just three points finishes in the last six Grand Prix. Sainz thinks Williams’ focus on 2026 has cost them in 2025, claiming that they have ‘fallen short’ with their development as their rivals catch up.

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Carlos Sainz admits he was ‘very nervous’ during his Williams debut in Australia

It has been a tough start for Sainz at Williams, having recorded a highest finish of eighth in Jeddah and Imola. He has not scored points since the Canadian GP.

Sainz did not start in Austria after his FW47 caught fire in the pit lane, summing up his first half of the season. His troubles at Williams started in the worst possible way at the season opener in Melbourne.

Williams showed how they had initially taken a step forward when Sainz and Albon both reached Q3. But while the latter went on to finish P5, the former did not cross the line to complete a lap after he spun out in the rain at the final corner.

Speaking via the official Williams YouTube channel, the Spaniard admitted he was ‘very nervous’ during the race as he took up position on the pit wall to help Albon with his strategy in the tricky conditions.

“You know, I enjoyed that. I had a terrible time, obviously, after the spin and the crash in my first race.

“I was very nervous when I said: ‘I think you should box’. And then suddenly I went: ‘Box’. And Charles, the strategist, and JV, we were like: ‘Please rain come, rain come!’ And it started p—— down.”

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Alex Albon knows exactly where Carlos Sainz is struggling at Williams

It is still early days for Sainz at Williams. However, it is clear that he is not having the start to the season that he was expecting.

Albon has been outscoring Sainz by some distance in 2025. The former Ferrari star is still getting accustomed to Williams’ operations, while his teammate has been well-established at the team since 2022.

Albon says he is used to driving around his problems at Williams, something that Sainz has struggled with thus far. But the Spaniard has the perfect teammate to learn from, evidenced by their relationship on and off the track.

Sainz is more ‘honest’ with Albon than any of his previous teammates in F1. The pair have trust in one another, which will work to the former’s advantage as he looks to turn his form around in the second half of 2025.