Carlos Sainz urges Williams to "dig deep" after difficult start to F1 season

Carlos Sainz has called on Williams to “dig deep” as the team confronts a challenging start to the new Formula 1 season, admitting the Grove-based outfit is falling short of its own expectations.

The team introduced a car that is overweight and hampered by notable limitations, leaving it among the slowest packages across the opening two rounds. The performance deficit has been compounded by reliability concerns, further stalling momentum at a critical stage of the season.

Points on the board, but problems remain

Sainz salvaged ninth place to secure two points and open Williams’ championship account. Yet despite the result, the Spaniard made clear that the team’s internal expectations remain far higher.

“We know we are too slow compared to where we wanted to be, where we expected to be,” Sainz said.

He pointed directly to excess weight and a lack of aerodynamic performance as core limitations.

“Part of that is weight that we know we need to get out of the car. But another part, a very big part of it, is downforce that we need to improve.”

Reliability has also been a recurring concern.

“We haven't [had] the most reliable car. Alex not starting the race [in China] and me missing so many free practices and having so many issues.”

For Sainz, the issues extend beyond isolated setbacks. He believes the team must raise its standards across the board.

“Honestly, we need to level up, because we're having too many issues in too many areas. As team, we need to dig deep.”

Searching for momentum

While ninth place was far from the target Williams had envisioned, Sainz hopes the modest reward can serve as a psychological lift.

“I hope these two points serve as motivation, as a bit of a bonus, motivation for everyone to go back home and dig deep.”

Even so, he did not attempt to disguise the gap between ambition and reality.

“It's not where we wanted to be and where we said we would be this season.”

The message from Sainz is clear: incremental points may steady the ship, but a deeper response is required if Williams is to realign performance with expectation.