Carlos Sainz gave an assessment of the introduction of the new Formula 1 regulations. The Spaniard pointed out that the arrival of the new rules only highlighted the large gap between the top teams and those in the midfield.
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For this year, the category brought a new aerodynamic package, in addition to a revamped engine and new racing modes such as the boost button, straight-line mode, and other devices to help with overtaking during races.
Therefore, in 2025, many teams chose to stop car development to already think about 2026. But with the exception of Red Bull, the teams at the top of the standings remained dominant, which for the Williams driver shows the different levels of Formula 1. “I think not only us, but all the teams that are not the top four this year realized how far the midfield teams are from the top teams,” he said.
“It takes a regulation change to realize the process of how far away you are from the organization of the top teams and the processes they have. Because the fact that a top team last year, with fewer wind tunnel hours, with less time, and still investing more in development for 2025, managed to produce cars a second faster than any midfield car… for me, it just shows that if you want to jump from the middle of the pack to being a top team, the jump is much bigger than anyone could imagine,” he continued.
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“If you had asked me last year, at this same time of year, that we would have more wind tunnel hours, more time to develop, that we wouldn’t invest in the 2025 car and would just prepare for 2026, you would think we would be close to the top teams. But the reality is the opposite. You are even further away. This new regulation, if it showed anything, was that all the midfield teams have a lot of work to do if they want to match the top teams,” he continued.
Asked if he felt the benefit of the additional testing time compared to teams like Mercedes and Ferrari, he pointed out that “no, not in that respect. I think, in aerodynamic terms, our car has a slightly different concept from that of the top teams. We certainly want to observe what the top teams are doing. Last year we saw that, even without a regulation change, our team is capable of producing good downforce.”
“Our car last year had very strong downforce. That’s why in Qatar we managed to get on the podium. The car needed to be good on a track like Qatar to earn a podium on merit. I am sure that as soon as we find the right path in development, the team will be able to deliver good downforce. I think at this start of the season, between weight and downforce, we haven’t quite got things right yet. But I am confident that when we find the right path, we will be able to start adding improvements,” he concluded.
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