Sainz admits struggles with Williams despite fastest lap in Bahrain

Carlos Sainz has been candid about the challenges of fully unlocking the potential of his Williams FW47 following the conclusion of the 2025 F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Sainz’s wrapped up his programme at the end of day two at the Bahrain International Circuit, where he completed both morning and afternoon sessions. And the Spaniard raised a few eyebrows in the paddock by unexpectedly topping the timesheets on Thursday.

However, despite this standout performance, which marked a high point of the pre-season and suggested encouraging progress for the British team, the former Ferrari driver later acknowledged that he is still adjusting to the nuances of the FW47.

Sainz Reflects on Early Days With Williams

Speaking to the media at Sakhir, Sainz admitted to feeling "a bit lost" in his efforts to extract the maximum performance from his new mount.

"In terms of driving style, I am still understanding what I need to do with this car to go quick because if I am honest, I am still a bit lost in terms of how to find the lap time", Sainz admitted.

"I don’t know if it’s going to come on entries, on exits, minimum speeds and that’s why yesterday’s run was important for me to understand where the lap time is coming from. I feel like when I push it I can get to a decent level I still don’t know where the last two tenths of the car are."

"This is what I need to discover in the first five, six races as I put more soft tyres on the car to try and understand where the lap time is going to come from."

Sainz Full of Praise For Albon

While struggling to better understand his FW17's intricacies, Sainz highlighted the strong working relationship he has already established with teammate Alex Albon.

"Alex is one of the best guys I’ve come across in Formula 1", commented Sainz.

"I think he’s an incredibly talented guy but more than anything a good human being. And you can tell he’s in this path with Williams where he’s trying to bring this team back to the top."

"The feedback that he gives, the feedback that he’s giving me about the team, the car, the way he’s helping me also understand the way the team operates and the way the technical element was going last year."

"It’s exactly the kind of relationship and the kind of teammate I need right now in Williams because we’re going to push flat out, both of ourselves to try and bring this team back to the front. And I think Alex is the perfect guy to do that."

Read also : Russell edges Verstappen in final Bahrain F1 test session

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