Carlos Sainz Reveals Key Factor To Improve On Williams FW47 Before Season-Opener In Australia

Williams driver Carlos Sainz shared his initial thoughts on the FW47 F1 car after the first day of pre-season testing, describing it as a positive step while noting that the car's balance needs further refinement before testing concludes on February 28, two weeks before the season-opener in Australia. His teammate, Alex Albon, acknowledged that certain aspects require attention on the FW47 but is overall satisfied with the car's foundation.

The Grove outfit, under the leadership of team principal James Vowles, has been making big leaps in several areas to ensure it competes with the top teams in Formula 1 in the coming years. Sainz's onboarding offers the team a new dynamic, given his experience with teams like McLaren and his recent 4-year stint with Ferrari, which came close to winning the Constructors' Championship in 2024.

Bringing in a winning-team mindset, the Spaniard has observations and feedback that are being considered seriously at Williams. The outfit's chief engineer, Dave Robson, admitted that Sainz's comments after the post-season test in Abu Dhabi were a sign that Williams was on the right development direction with the car. It was now to be seen if the work on the FW47 over the winter break had brought about improvements. Revealing his first assessment of the Williams 2025 challenger after Day 1 of testing, Sainz said:

“Overall, it was a positive first day for the team, especially given some of the track stoppages we had with the blackout.

“We managed to complete the run plan, and we got in a lot of laps, which is always the main target of the first day.

“First impressions are positive, but obviously between now and the next couple of days, we’ll try to improve the balance of the car in both short and long runs.”

Albon added:

“It was an okay day today.

“We still have a few things to work on, but our base car feels pretty sensible.

“This is what testing’s about, trying to understand the systems and whether there are things we need to address. We’ve made a few changes to the car, which is positive.

“As a team, we’ve had a couple of opportunities to run the car already this year, so that’s a good thing – but as drivers, we always wish we had more time. All in all, though, it was good to get out there!”

Dave Robson confirmed that a lot of work needs to be done on the car in a short span of time. He said:

“It’s always good to finally get a new car to the track and begin to understand how the performance and personality of the car compare to expectations.

“We have worked hard during the FW47 development period to resolve the weaknesses of last year’s car and to ensure that the FW47 is competitive in a broad range of conditions.

“Carlos’ feedback from driving last year’s car in Abu Dhabi confirmed that we were focused on the right areas, but only today could we begin the process of understanding whether that focus has been rewarded.

“Conditions were cool and gusty all day and, whilst not necessarily representative of how the weather will be when we return here for the Grand Prix next month, they are quite useful conditions in which to push the car and explore its consistency.

“The car ran reliably all day, allowing both drivers to get some valuable experience in it. Based on their experience today, and using the data we collected from over 700km of smooth running, we will plan the final two days of pre-season testing.

“Carlos will continue in the car tomorrow before Alex takes over for the final day on Friday. There is inevitably a lot of work left to be done in a short space of time; however, we have had a good start and are in a position to push the car harder over the next two days.”