F1 2025 recap: Carlos Sainz shines despite move to the midfield

The 2024 Formula 1 season concluded with Carlos Sainz securing a final podium for Scuderia Ferrari, a bittersweet moment marking his departure from the storied Italian team. Ferrari’s decision to replace Sainz with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season initiated a significant shift in the Spaniard’s career trajectory. Faced with a move from a front-running team to Williams, which had finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship the previous year, Sainz candidly cautioned fans about tempering their expectations for the upcoming season, famously stating, "you’re not going to see me on the podium" in 2025. This pronouncement, however, would ultimately be proven incorrect by a remarkable display of resilience and driving prowess.

Sainz’s inaugural season with Williams, partnering with incumbent Alex Albon, commenced with considerable challenges. The season-opening Australian Grand Prix saw an immediate setback for the Spanish driver, as an incident on the first lap resulted in an early retirement, denying him a competitive start to his new chapter. While he managed to secure his first point for Williams in China, demonstrating initial progress, the subsequent Japanese Grand Prix proved difficult, followed by another retirement in Bahrain. This series of early-season incidents and a lack of consistent points underscored a rough initiation into his Williams career, echoing the team’s struggles in previous years. Williams, a team with a rich history including nine constructors’ titles, had endured a prolonged period in the lower echelons of the grid, with their last significant competitive surge dating back to the early 2010s. The immediate results suggested that the transition would indeed be a challenging one for the highly-rated driver.

Despite the initial adversity, Sainz remained undeterred, exhibiting the mental fortitude that has become a hallmark of his career. Following the challenging start, he began to express growing confidence, noting that he was "going in the right direction with the set-up and driving." This internal optimism began to translate into tangible on-track performance. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix marked a crucial turning point, as Sainz out-qualified his teammate Alex Albon for the first time, signaling an improved understanding of the FW47 chassis and a better synergy with his engineering team. This achievement in Jeddah ignited a strong run of form for Sainz, where he secured championship points in five out of the subsequent six Grands Prix. This period not only highlighted Sainz’s adaptability and skill but also showcased the significant developmental strides Williams had made over the winter break, transforming their package from a back-marker to a consistent midfield contender. The team’s focused efforts on aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical grip appeared to be paying dividends, allowing Sainz to regularly compete for top-10 finishes.

However, the season was not without its further tests. Following this promising run, Sainz encountered a mid-season rough patch. A mechanical failure in Austria regrettably forced him to miss the start of the race, leading to a non-score. This incident was followed by a streak of five consecutive Grands Prix where he failed to finish within the points, with the exception of a sixth-place finish in the Spa Sprint race. During this period, the points gap to his teammate Albon widened, prompting questions about the team’s consistency and Sainz’s ability to maintain his early momentum. The fluctuating performance underscored the competitive nature of the midfield and the fine margins that separate points-scoring finishes from outside the top ten.

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The second half of the season, however, witnessed a remarkable resurgence from Carlos Sainz, culminating in a series of historic performances for Williams. In the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a chaotic race on the streets of Baku, Sainz delivered a masterclass. Having qualified an impressive second, he navigated the demanding circuit with precision and tactical acumen. Despite ultimately succumbing to George Russell, who was driving for a rival team, Sainz valiantly held off a charging Andrea Kimi Antonelli – a Mercedes junior driver competing for a midfield team – to clinch a sensational third-place finish. This podium marked a significant milestone, as it was the first for Williams since George Russell’s P3 finish at the rain-affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, and before that, Lance Stroll’s podium at the 2017 Baku Grand Prix. Sainz’s achievement not only broke a long-standing drought for the team but also fulfilled his own personal prophecy, albeit in reverse, by stepping onto the podium.

The Azerbaijani triumph proved to be a catalyst for Sainz. He followed this with another third-place finish in the Austin Sprint race, showcasing his adaptability across different circuit types and race formats. To cap off an extraordinary comeback, he secured a third podium of the season with another third-place finish at the penultimate Grand Prix in Qatar, further solidifying his and Williams’s unexpected competitive standing. These three podiums were critical in accumulating significant championship points for both Sainz and the team.

Despite these successes, the season was not entirely devoid of incidents. Sainz was involved in a race-ending collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the United States Grand Prix, an incident for which shared blame was attributed. Later in the season, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico, an incident with Liam Lawson prematurely ended his race, highlighting the relentless pressures and inherent risks of Formula 1 racing. These episodes, while unfortunate, did not overshadow the overall positive trajectory of his season.

By the conclusion of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Carlos Sainz had amassed a commendable 64 championship points. This tally placed him just nine points shy of his teammate Alex Albon, who finished the season with 73 points, underscoring the fierce intra-team battle and Albon’s consistent points-scoring throughout the year. However, Sainz held the distinction of being the sole Williams driver to secure a podium finish, thereby adding to the team’s trophy cabinet for the year. Furthermore, in the qualifying head-to-heads for Grands Prix, Sainz consistently demonstrated superior one-lap pace, outperforming Albon with a decisive 14-9 record.

Sainz’s exceptional form and significant points contribution played a pivotal role in Williams Racing achieving its best Constructors’ Championship finish since 2017, securing fifth place overall. This remarkable leap from ninth position in the previous season represented a substantial turnaround for the historic British team, signaling a renewed competitive edge. The consistent performances, particularly the three podium finishes, undoubtedly raised questions within the Formula 1 paddock, prompting speculation among analysts regarding Ferrari’s decision to part ways with the Spanish driver. Sainz’s ability to extract such impressive results from a team that had languished in the midfield for years not only enhanced his own reputation as a top-tier talent but also positioned Williams as a team on an upward trajectory, poised for further improvements in future seasons.

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Jonas Leo: Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.

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