Carlos Sainz won’t be forgetting the 2022 British GP anytime soon. His first-ever Grand Prix win in F1 elevated him to star status in the sport. The Silverstone crowd raucously supported him, despite him driving for an Italian team under a Spanish flag.
Sainz firmly believes the fans backed him because of his time at McLaren.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Madrid-born driver raced for the British team, securing two podiums and playing a crucial role in its development.
Having represented the iconic papaya colors and been a beloved figure at McLaren, Sainz gained plenty of admirers. In his view, this helped him connect with F1 fans in the United Kingdom.
“I think a bit of that is thanks to my McLaren years. I think my two years in McLaren brought me a lot closer to the English crowd,” he explained on the Fast and the Curious podcast.
Winning my first F1 GP, with Ferrari and this crowd, in Silverstone… Amazing. It was a tough race mentally with fights, a restart, fuel-saving, Safety-Car… But we made it. Let’s enjoy today, but full focus on Austria tomorrow!
–#Carlossaiz pic.twitter.com/upe6WbNxac
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) July 3, 2022
For Sainz, it must have felt special that the crowd—despite having no obligation to cheer for him—rallied behind him, especially since the victory didn’t come easy.
He secured his first-ever pole position that weekend in wet conditions, but in the race, he lost the lead to Max Verstappen and had to contend with Ferrari’s team orders favoring Charles Leclerc.
However, a bold Safety Car gamble allowed Sainz to stay ahead of Leclerc and clinch the win.
Reflecting on his time at McLaren, Sainz considered the British GP his adopted home race. Now, after four years with Ferrari, he will return to Silverstone as Williams’ “home driver,” representing the iconic British team.
Sainz working hard to succeed at Williams
McLaren deserves some credit for Sainz’s decision to join Williams.
Faced with a choice between Williams, Alpine, and Sauber—three struggling teams—Sainz had to pick the best of the worst. His experience at McLaren, where he witnessed their rise from midfield contenders to Champions last year, convinced him that Williams could follow a similar path.
That’s the kind of turnaround the 30-year-old hopes to replicate, and he’s putting in the work to make it happen.
“I was in the factory from 8:30 in the morning till 7 p.m. Testing things, asking things, meetings, doing a seat fit,” Sainz revealed about his rigorous preparation for 2025.
His arrival at Williams coincides with the team making key strides at an organizational level. With a new title partner in Atlassian, they are assembling the necessary resources to return to the front of the F1 grid.
