Carlos Sainz delivered a composed and calculated performance at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, helping Williams Racing secure their first double points finish of the season.
Returning to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after missing last year’s event due to surgery, the Spaniard’s weekend was defined not just by pace, but by poise and teamwork.
Sainz reflects on a good team strategy call
Sainz, who qualified an impressive sixth on Saturday, was pragmatic at the race start, choosing not to entangle himself in unnecessary battles with faster cars. A more mature approach, especially after his Bahrain outing ended in contact. This allowed him to maintain position and play a crucial role in Williams’ race strategy.
Late in the race, as Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar began to threaten teammate Alex Albon, Sainz was asked to hold back and tactically allow his teammate to gain DRS, a common but clever team manoeuvre.
“The team asked me to give the DRS to Alex to make sure Hadjar didn’t have a chance of passing us,” Sainz explained. “It’s a tricky one because you always feel like it exposes you, especially in a high-speed track where the DRS has a very big effect. You always get a bit nervous about it because you know from there on, you cannot put a foot wrong if you do a mistake or hit a wall or whatever.
“But in the end it worked, and I could show my pace in the last lap; I had a lot of pace, which is a really good sign.”
Building trust with Williams
The move underscored not only the trust between Sainz and the team, but his growing comfort in a car he is still adapting to, especially given that 2025 marks his first experience with a Mercedes power unit.
“It’s not the same when it comes from your idea, because you know you’re 100% sure – when it comes from the team, you always struggle a bit more to commit to it because it doesn’t come natural for you,” Sainz said. “But I think we did the right call in the end.”
Despite a slow pit stop costing him a few seconds mid-race, Sainz remained composed, managing his tyres effectively and executing a strong final stint to secure eighth place.
With a solid points haul and evident synergy with his new team, Sainz’s performance in Jeddah not only helped Williams leap forward in the standings. It also signalled his growing confidence and control within the FW47. As the season continues, this measured and mature Sainz could prove crucial in Williams’ battle for midfield supremacy.
