Carlos Sainz: This year fosters character building.

      In the last season, after nine stages, Carlos Sainz had 12 points, while this year he has half that amount. Nevertheless, the Spanish driver firmly stated that he is doing everything he can to help his team and wants to succeed specifically behind the wheel of a Williams car…

      Carlos Sainz: “We already have answers to some questions related to the speed deficit in Silverstone, and the team is doing everything in its power to address the issues that have been hindering us since the beginning of the year. The FW48 car does not allow us to perform at the level we expected, while other teams are faster than Williams in developing and implementing technical innovations.

      We are trying to achieve improvements, but it is already clear that this year is incredibly difficult and is perhaps only contributing to character building. We understand that the car still lacks speed, its efficiency is below what we calculated, although we are gradually managing to achieve at least a slight increase in downforce.

      I hope that in the upcoming stages in Belgium and Hungary we will make some progress – both through setup work and through small technical innovations. If we succeed, it will be a promising sign, although we understand that everything we have learned this season will be embodied in the 2027 car. Realistically speaking, we will only be able to make significant progress next season.

      We have to admit that we were not able to understand the new technical regulations as well as we understood the previous ones. Moreover, our freedom of action is now limited by budget constraints…”

      As the rumor mill is truly spinning at this stage of the season, there are various talks about Sainz's future, but today in Spa he assured that his plans are only tied to Williams: “I am not thinking about what opportunities may arise and where. At this stage, my preferences regarding the future are crystal clear: I want to succeed with this project. You have no idea how much effort I am putting into it, and I am currently focused solely on it.”