Andrea Stella Acknowledges Carlos Sainz’s Contribution to McLaren’s Success 4 Years After His Departure

As Carlos Sainz decided to join Williams for 2025 after leaving Ferrari, many saw this move as a downgrade. However, the Spaniard did not think so. He cited how neither McLaren nor Ferrari were in a good position when he signed for them, but thanks to his contributions, both have now emerged as championship contenders.

“I have the feeling that I am starting at Williams at a similar time as I did back then at McLaren,” the 30-year-old said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport earlier this year. “The team has already gotten through the worst phase by the time I arrive. They are on their way up”.

When Sainz first arrived at McLaren in 2019, they were recovering from one of their worst slumps in form in F1—having struggled as a backmarker for four seasons. However, the #55 driver’s arrival helped them propel to fourth in the Constructors’ standings that season and then finish P3 in 2020.

Even though it was just a two-year stint, Sainz leading the team in those two seasons set the foundation for their success in later years. In fact, McLaren‘s current team principal Andrea Stella feels the Spaniard’s inputs in refining the team’s processes back then really helped in becoming a championship contender and clinching the Constructors’ title in 2024.

“I have to say that the experience with Carlos in McLaren has been extremely formative for everyone,” Stella said in an interview when asked to name one driver he would like to coach. “Carlos has brought a way of working, he has brought this cultural element that I mentioned at the beginning, which has created a suitable environment for growth”.

Stella then added how Sainz also played a pivotal role in helping Lando Norris, who many saw as the favorite to win the championship at the start of this season. Acknowledging Sainz’s overall influence on the Woking outfit, Stella concluded by adding, “I would certainly like to acknowledge Carlos for the contribution he made at McLaren”.

With Sainz being such a resourceful person at any team, Williams team principal James Vowles could not believe his luck when neither of the top teams such as Red Bull and Mercedes decided to sign him for this year after the Spaniard left Ferrari. For Vowles, it was clear that he wanted to target Sainz, once he became available.

Now, with Williams seemingly on the up this season, the Briton has credited Sainz for helping the team. “The car is faster thanks to the work and the effort, the work ethic he’s put in, how he really develops with the engineers,” Vowles explained. “That’s why Carlos was my #1 target. He’s absolutely brilliant at developing teams”.

The statistics also suggest that whichever team Sainz has driven for has improved when he has left them. Autosport put up a post summarizing this trend, deeming it to be the “Carlos Sainz effect”.

For instance, Sainz joined Renault in late 2017, before which they were in a miserable position in the championship, with a P9 finish in 2016. However, after the Madrid-born driver’s season-long stint in 2018, they climbed to P4. Likewise, McLaren, as mentioned earlier, saw the jump from sixth to third in two seasons’ time.

Meanwhile, Ferrari saw the highest jump as they were in a dire position with their engine issues in 2020, securing P6 in the Constructors’ standings, which was way off their high standards. However, as soon as Sainz joined them in 2021, their fate started to change.

The Italian outfit returned to winning ways in the forthcoming seasons, eventually finishing only 14 points off the Constructors’ champions McLaren in 2024, which was the #55 driver’s last season with them.

Williams already seem to have benefited from Sainz’s arrival as they are currently P5 in the standings, having finished a disastrous ninth last year. The Grove-based outfit will hope that the Spaniard can now help them return to the front when the regulations change next season, something the 30-year-old revealed as one of his goals when he joined them.