Carlos Sainz outlines ‘success’ marker for Williams in F1 2025

Carlos Sainz has detailed what he feels will mark the F1 2025 season out as a success for Williams.

The Spaniard joined the squad for the current campaign following a four-year stint at Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz highlights importance of early points for Williams

That has seen the four-time race winner redefine his own measure of success, but has also reasoned that fifth place for the team would mark a strong season.

Last year, Williams finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, with just 17 points across the campaign.

In F1 2025, Sainz and teammate Alex Albon have combined to amass 70 points from the opening 14 rounds to leave the team as the ‘best of the rest’ behind the leading four outfits.

“As a team, a successful year to score fifth in the championship and show massive progress,” he said of his idea of what success looks like.

“It would show the positive direction of the team, the gathering momentum into ’26 with all the big changes that are happening, and everything we are investing into ’26.

“For me, it’s important that, even if I’m taking my time to adapt to a team and the car – I don’t think I took time to adapt to the car, I think I was quite quick straight away, it’s just getting results and putting things together. That has been a struggle since the beginning of the year.”

Williams is in the midst of a building phase.

It appointed James Vowles as team principal for the start of the F1 2023 season and this year welcomed significant new investment from title sponsor, Atlassian.

Behind the scenes, the squad has been rebuilding under Vowles’ leadership with a view to modernise and rediscover the form which saw it win world championships through the 1980s and 1990s.

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With a significant rule change awaiting teams for F1 2026, like all teams, it has begun to turn its attentions to what will be a significant new era for the world championship.

However, the current campaign remains important to that effort as the squad builds morale and momentum ahead of the challenge that awaits.

The squad’s early season form, which saw either Sainz or Albon in the points in eight of the opening 10 results – and 10 of the 14 races to date – has helped propel the squad in the midfield fight that has condensed as the season has worn on.

“I think everyone could start feeling the midfield getting closer, after having such a big margin at the beginning of the year,” Sainz said.

The Spainard has finished in the points just once since the Monaco Grand Prix, though the increased competition for the minor places and Williams’ fast start to the season mean it stands a good chance of retaining fifth in the standings.

“It was also not only results, but also competitiveness was getting a lot more difficult,” noted.

“[The strong start] Definitely gives us, hopefully, a bit of margin.

“It’s been a major part of the season,” Sarinz added, drawing reference to Albon’s sixth place in Belgium.

“I think where we were lacking a bit of points and results, and the midfield was getting close to us, but I think we were the highest-scoring points team of the midfield.

“Hopefully that gives us a bit of momentum going forward on the second half, because it’s exactly what we needed.”

Fifth in the championship would be a significant result for the squad, with a healthy prize money injection next year should it hold the place to the end of the championship.

By finishing ninth last year, it is estimated that Williams will receive around $45 million (£33.6m) from Formula One Management throughout F1 2025. However, should it end the year fifth in the standings, that will rise to more than $65 million (£48.5m) next season.

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