Carlos Sainz’s Williams debut at the 2025 Australian GP, last weekend, did not go to plan — at least on track. The #55 driver crashed out of the race under a Safety Car, concluding his first appearance for the Grove-based team without any points.
However, despite the dejection of this early setback, the Madrid-born driver took over extra duties to help his teammate, Alex Albon with his race strategy. In fact, Sainz’s quick calls on the pit wall ensured that the British-Thai driver finished in the top five.
That said, the moments leading up to him calling for Albon to be pitted in rainy conditions was a nervous affair for Sainz.
“I remember telling JV [James Vowles] after the race that I actually got really nervous – more nervous than I am when I’m in the car – because I felt some responsibility for the call,” he recalled while speaking to Formula 1. While drivers don’t really dabble in race engineering duties like these, Sainz could set a new standard at Williams.
The Spaniard has been known for his strategic brilliance but it would’ve been a novel experience to call the shots from outside the car. Williams’ boss James Vowles had been counting on Sainz’s acumen to enrich the team’s operations and he would’ve been content with what he saw in Melbourne.
Carlos Sainz’s first race with Williams ending in a crash wasn’t ideal but…
…he joined the strategy team that helped team-mate Alex Albon to P5. pic.twitter.com/tI4kOvvfvo
— The Race (@wearetherace) March 16, 2025
Still, there are several aspects that the 30-year-old is yet to learn about the iconic British outfit. He hasn’t acclimatized to the team’s communication systems on the pit wall. As a result, Sainz revealed that he wasn’t actually calling the shots on the radio.
Instead, he was spotted running frantically from the pit wall to the garage to relay his opinions and messages. Nevertheless, it was very useful for Albon to secure a brilliant result in Australia.
How Sainz secured Williams’ first points finish of 2025
The opening race weekend started in a really promising manner for Williams. Both Sainz and Albon had made it into Q3 after qualifying and were on course for a double points finish on race day.
But a glitch on the Spanish racing ace’s power unit meant that he got more torque than he required during an upshift coming onto the main straight. This caused him to lose the rear of his FW47 and meet the barriers in slippery conditions.
It looked as though the promise of Saturday had quickly faded away for Vowles’ team. But Sainz’s quick response on seeing the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri go off track meant the team pitted Albon for intermediate tires when the heavens opened up once again late into the race.
This allowed the #23 driver to take the chequered flag in P4 — with Kimi Antonelli getting a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release. But the penalty for the Mercedes rookie was overturned, relegating Albon to P5 — enough for the team to take fourth place in the Constructors’ championship.
