Carlos Sainz: I prefer to be optimistic

      Yesterday Carlos Sainz drove the first laps on the track at Silverstone driving the car Williams FW47, and although the Spanish racer prefers to refrain from any assessments, he is quite positive mood in anticipation of the new season, the eleventh in his career in Formula 1. "Tires, which we are provided for such tests, do not allow you to fully test the machine - quotes the words of Carlos newspaper AS. - It is too early to draw conclusions about how competitive it is, or whether it is good balance. But the very fact that Williams decided to hold a presentation in front of everyone, indicates that the team is not afraid of technical problems. We know that 2025 is a transition year, and in 2026 we want to make a very big step forward. But I know that we will continue to progress in 2025 as well. How intensely, and will it allow me to fight for podiums? I prefer to be optimistic and wait until at least the end of pre-season testing or the first race before I know where we stand. I will share with the team all the information that I can and that I have (after four seasons in Ferrari), and we have talked about it. Alex Elbon has three years' experience at Williams, I've worked with different teams in the past, and hopefully that will all be reflected in our lap times soon. I see Williams as having a lot in common with McLaren (for whom Sainz drove from 2019-2022), especially as both teams are British. They are at similar stages of development, overcoming the difficulties of previous years. Williams had a tough time during the pandemic, while McLaren had the worst of it in 2017-2018, and I joined the team just after that. At Grove I also met people with a desire to succeed, this team has all the necessary qualities to become champions in the future... I can say that after ten years in Formula 1, I joined a team famous for its past successes. I am very proud to have driven for McLaren and Ferrari and now to be a Williams driver. If someone had predicted this to me when I was very young, I wouldn't have believed it. My biggest expectation is that I have joined a team that is going through a period of reform, and in the long term it will be able to become competitive again and fight for race wins. It takes time, but the intentions are exactly that, so I'm excited to be part of the process."