Sainz is preparing for his first season as a Williams driver in F1 2025, having arrived at the Grove-based team from Ferrari over the winter. Roberto Merhi spotted in Carlos Sainz

SAKHIR, Bahrain - Carlos Sainz put in a double shift at pre-season Formula 1 testing on Feb 27, the Spaniard topping the times after covering twice the usual Bahrain grand prix race distance of 57 laps at the wheel of his new Williams.

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Williams ambassador Jenson Button has revealed that the team are in the process of “downloading” Carlos Sainz’s knowledge and expertise from his stints at Ferrari and McLaren. It comes just weeks after it emerged that Ferrari have gone to extreme lengths to ‘erase’ Lewis Hamilton’s memory of his time at Mercedes.

The last few years have been difficult for Williams, whose long-term goals have necessitated short-term sacrifices. It could be a similar story for the team in 2025, which will act as a transitional year before the 2026 regulations.