Sainz calls for new concept amid Williams slump

Carlos Sainz says Williams must overhaul its technical direction to deliver a more versatile 2026 car, following another tough outing at the Hungaroring.

The Spanish driver, who joined the Grove-based team from Ferrari this year, was 14th in Budapest and admitted the weekend confirmed longstanding weaknesses in the 2025 car’s handling.

“A change in design philosophy is needed to ensure next year's car performs well on different circuits,” he told AS. “Hungary has always been a difficult track for the team.”

Sainz pinpointed a persistent lack of aerodynamic stability through longer corners, an issue seen across multiple venues in 2025.

“We have poorer aerodynamic characteristics in long corners, where you need to maintain downforce from entry to the middle of the corner,” he said. “These things fail us; it's been a long-standing tendency.”

“That’s why short corners and straights suit us better. On tracks like Barcelona, Hungary, or Qatar, the car suffers.”

Since his arrival, the 30-year-old has attempted to bring detailed feedback to the development process.

“I've gone from a team that was on pole to one that's 13th,” Sainz said. “I can give a lot of feedback on what this car is missing at a circuit like this.”

Despite Williams focusing its development resources on 2026, Sainz says he is still pushing hard for results.

“I tried three or four different [setups] in Hungary and ended up going back to the car that gave me competitive qualifying runs in Miami and Imola,” he added. “If we'd had clean weekends in Spa, Miami, or Imola, we would have scored a lot of points.”