Carlos Sainz patient, motivated to return Williams to legendary roots

Carlos Sainz knows the process of moving Williams up the Formula 1 grid will take some time, but the 30-year-old Spaniard said his motivation to do so is "unbelievable."

Sainz jumped in his Williams car for end-of-season testing on Tuesday, and posted the second-fastest time behind Charles Leclerc as teams tinkered with setups and run plans. Sainz and Leclerc have been teammates for the past four years at Ferrari, where they helped claim second place in this year's constructors standings.

Podiums and team successes of that nature are still a long way off for Williams, but Sainz said that is of no concern to him as he embarks on his biggest project after racing for Ferrari (2021-24) and McLaren (2019-20).

"I'm not worried about that," Sainz told DAZN Spain, per f1.com. "I've got that. I've done that with Ferrari."

While Ferrari was overtaking Red Bull and battling McLaren to end the season in Abu Dhabi, Williams finished ninth out of 10 teams in the constructors standings. While 17 points left the team 29 behind RB Honda for eighth place, Williams has been making steady strides since investment firm Dorilton Capital bought the team in 2020.

The highly respected James Vowles brought in Sainz, who was replaced at Ferrari by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, to provide a veteran driver pairing alongside Alex Albon. The trio are part of a comprehensive plan to return Williams to its glory days.

"Honestly, people won't believe it and can't imagine how much I'm looking forward to what's to come," Sainz said.

"It may seem strange to people but it's a project that motivates me a lot. It's in my mind to be able to help a legendary team like Williams in F1 to become a top team again. Being part of that motivates me a lot."

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