Sainz cautious despite positive test run in Sakhir
Having topped the second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Carlos Sainz sounded a cautious note when assessing the Grove-based outfit's chances in the upcoming season.
Ahead of his first season with Williams, four-time F1 race winner Carlos Sainz has revealed that he has performed the most condensed winter preparation of his F1 career, but he still needs to discover the characteristics of his new car.
The Spanish driver made the switch from Ferrari to the Grove-based squad over the winter and headlined the second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, finishing top after a full day of running.
"Just like that, the off-season is behind us and we’re back in Melbourne for the season opener," started Sainz. "It’s been a busy winter getting up to speed with Williams and learning the new car but I’m ready to get behind the wheel and see how the car performs against our competitors.
"Whilst we did leave testing feeling positive about our performance and gains, it’s always difficult to tell without knowing what our competitors are doing, so we’ll have a better understanding come qualifying on Saturday.
"I want to give a big thank you to everyone across the team for pushing hard these last few months to get the car ready and in a good position for us; hopefully we can have a strong start to the season and carry some positive momentum already from Australia onwards. Vamos!"
His new team-mate Alex Albon sounded a positive note when assessing the Williams' new car, revealing that he and Sainz had similar opinion about the areas the Grove-based outfit will need to address with the FW47 in the coming weeks.
"The first race of the season is finally here! It’s great to be back in Melbourne – there’s always such a buzzing atmosphere and a lot of home support from Asia. This year, Melbourne follows on from a very busy ‘off-season’ full of big events for the team, including the announcement of Atlassian as our new Title Partner, but we also did a huge amount of race preparation.
"The pre-season test in Bahrain was positive and we learned a lot about the new car. Carlos and I agreed on the areas that needed attention before the season started and I know everyone’s been working hard behind the scenes to action our feedback, so I’m feeling pretty good going into this year.
"We’re in a much better place compared to the start of the season last year. I can’t wait to get back out there and see how we stack up against the other teams," concluded Albon.
