Key Carlos Sainz feedback to Williams unveiled in previously unseen footage

Williams are already benefitting from Carlos Sainz’s feedback following his first outing for the team at the back-end of the 2024 F1 season.

Sainz had the opportunity to drive Williams’ 2024 challenger during a filming day after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In a video posted on Williams’ YouTube channel, Sainz completed his first laps in the FW46.

Ahead of his initial laps in the car, Sainz instructed his engineers to add some padding to the cockpit to make it more comfortable for him.

Once back in the garage, Sainz discussed a couple of setup tweaks with his engineers ahead of the full day’s running in the official post-season test.

His first run also allowed him to test various buttons on the Williams steering wheel, including “pit confirm”, which signals to his team when he is entering the pit lane.

There was then an intriguing exchange with his engineer, who remarked: “Feels like the first day of school, no?”

Sainz replied: “Yeah, a different car completely. It’s crazy! Even the throttle pedal. You feel a bit more through the steering column here.”

Sainz’s invaluable feedback

After a few more laps in the car, Sainz provided Williams with fascinating feedback.

The Spaniard has earned a reputation as one of the most diligent drivers on the grid, renowned for his feedback and ability to improve teams.

Further setup adjustments were carried out, guided by Sainz’s feedback.

The former Ferrari driver remarked: “I would like to look into a bit of detail with you the front and rear slips of my lap and the wheel separation of the diff, especially when I go back on throttle.”

One of the engineers replied: “That’s an interesting comment,” before Sainz added: “I feel like it has a bit of a delay on how quickly it should close.”

Sainz was informed that the delay was based on another driver – Franco Colapinto.

Sainz then responded: “Show me some data when you can and I can tell you whether I think it’s too much or not enough. Let’s focus tonight on rear and front slips, and we will separate the profile.

“I need to see on the data what I feel on the car because I think if I can see what I feel, I can help you a lot to fine-tune. We’re talking fine-tuning. The last tunes for me were working well. With the tools of Franco, we can brake later. I am happy.”

Sainz will be hoping Williams find performance over the winter after they slipped to ninth in the F1 constructors’ championship.