Carlos Sainz of Atlassian Williams Racing provided insights about the FW47’s underlying balance issue that might have been hindering Williams’ performance at the Media Day in the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The issue that is holding Williams back
After passing stagnant and sometimes regressive periods in the last few years, the Williams Racing F1 team has been witnessing progress in its overall performance in the 2025 season. Though the team had two DNFs in the first five races, they are currently fifth in the team standings with 25 points, right behind Ferrari.
Nonetheless, considering the performance of FW47, there is an issue that might be lying under its balance system. Carlos Sainz stated that both he and his teammate, Albon, struggle with the balance problem in the Saudi Arabian GP. According to him, the car’s DNA had this problem for a long time, which Albon was familiar. However, this is a novel concern for Sainz. He is currently adapting his driving according to the car’s balance while also trying to understand the setup behind it.
“I think Alex also feels it [the underlying balance issue in the car]. It’s very obvious to both of us.
“I think Alex is just used to it because he says it’s been part of the DNA of the car for a long time. For me, it’s a bit more of a new issue or a new thing that I’m trying to get my driving, my setup, and my understanding around it.”
While the Spaniard tries to get the best he can out of the current car balance, he believes that an improvement is necessary. Sainz remarked that the balance struggle might be the factor that is holding Williams back.
“But I think as a team, it’s fundamental that we improve this because this might be the thing that is holding Williams back in the last few years. We need to all together understand it to try and move forward this car and try to apply it to the next set of regulations.”
Williams team needs to improve the DNA of the FW47
Carlos Sainz explained the hard work of all the engineers at the Williams base. While recognizing that both the team spirit and the car have improved massively since last season, the Spanish driver said that there is still a need for improvement with the balance of the car.
“There’s a lot of work being done back at base and between all of our engineering groups to try and understand it. All of this, given the fact that the car has improved massively compared to last year, it’s a much more competitive car.
“I think it’s a much more robust platform. There are things that are maybe part of the DNA of Williams, and we need to keep improving.
“I think with my arrival, if anything, it’s become a bit more obvious, given my feedback, and we need to work on it.”
Balance issues are clear in medium to low-speed corners
When Sainz was asked during the Saudi Arabian GP where and when the balance issue manifests itself while he drives the car, he could not elaborate much on the problem or its technical dynamics. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the issue seems to be present in each lap, particularly in medium to low-speed corners. The Spaniard stated that as the season progresses, Williams’ team might add more detailed public analysis on the balance struggles of the FW47.
“I don’t know how much I can go into detail on our balance issues and technicalities. I always like keeping these things a bit more towards the team. But it’s pretty much every lap is there.
“It’s part of the characteristics of the car. Let’s say it appears a bit more in medium to low-speed corners.
“I’ll ask JV [James Vowles] if we can openly talk about it or not, or if we want to keep it to ourselves for today. I’m not going to go into much detail, and then maybe as the year progresses, I will see if I can talk more about it.”
