Not even Williams’ radical change convinces Carlos Sainz: “Now it’s time to be realistic and we will have a hard time in Q1”
Williams I had marked in red on the calendar the Azerbaijan GP. At the Baku circuit, Grove introduces the new chassis with which they want to get as close as possible to the regulatory weight limit when they have been too far above it for most of the year.
It has been said over the months that the FW48 was up to 30kg above that limit and that, now, with the new much lighter chassis, Lap times could be reduced by up to half a second per lap. Although it is a major update, Carlos Sainz He does not expect to be able to take many positive things from a circuit where last year he managed to finish on the podium.
“Last year we turned it around here because it was a car that performed very well on this type of circuit and it was reasonable to think about that podium. But I’m realistic now. With the improvements we will also suffer to get past Q1 and to be at the top of Q2. Of course, it gives motivation to the team to understand that we are moving forward, and if it is a step in the right direction, it shows us that what we have in the wind tunnel and in the simulations is the way to follow for the upcoming season,” he said in the corralito with statements collected by Marca.
“We are clear that we are the ones who must improve the most. If not, we will never advance. We cannot have a car similar to this year’s“
Carlos arrives in Baku after the tremendous disappointment that was the most special GP for him, Madring. Sainz abandoned at home when he was fighting not to finish last and even clashed with Alonso. They were really hard moments when the enthusiasm was maximum to offer a good show in front of their team.
“The lowest point you can be on the track. We lost three seconds per lap and 1.5 with the middle zone. It was a point where the lack of development accumulated. Now we have something that we should have started the year with and not in race 14 or 15. We have that deficit and we will have it until 2027, but it is a moment in which we must find a reasonable point of development to show our capacity.
Two races in Monaco
Between Madring and the Azerbaijan GP weekend, the calendar for the upcoming season was presented with 10 GPs in Sprint format, included in the Monaco event. The decision to do two races in the Principality was really controversial and the Spaniard was asked about his opinion.
“Having two classifications is something that will work, but another race is not necessary. We can park the cars on Saturday and not race on Sunday because the results will be the same. I think that in Monaco the ideal would be to devise a specific format for the circuit…”, he expressed in conclusion.
