Carlos Sainz backs Williams for more success ahead of the F1 2025 Miami GP as the team look to build upon finishing eighth and ninth at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20.
The British team find themselves competing at the sharper end of the grid for the first time since 2017, although they still lag somewhat behind McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
All the same, they have 25 points on the board through five Grand Prix and have already surpassed their haul for the entire 2024 year, thanks to impressive performances from Alex Albon as Sainz got up to speed with the car.
And in Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard built upon a solid showing at the Bahrain GP by securing seventh, indicating that the 30-year-old now understands how to get the best out of his package.
With things looking up for James Vowles’ team at Grove, Sainz believes the F1 2025 Miami GP has good omens for Williams as he backs the team for success due to the Sprint Race format.
“Considering the Sprint format,” Sainz told Williams. “We are looking forward to more opportunities to score points, despite the shorter time available for free practice.
More from the Azerbaijan GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport’s latest Azerbaijan GP coverage, including George Russell’s dramatic Baku victory, the full race classification, the fastest lap result, and the Driver of the Day from the 2026 race.
“We have a strong race car and will try to maximise the performance we have built over the past few weekends.”
The Sprint Race format sees just the one Free Practice session available for teams to figure out their set-ups before entering parc ferme conditions, although this curfew is relaxed slightly compared to a typical Grand Prix weekend.
This proves beneficial two teams who can accomplish one of, or both of, two things: preparation and inherent race pace. The more prepared a team arrives with their car, the more time they can dedicate to refining performance where they need it.
For example, Red Bull had an exceptional run in the Sprint Races from 2022-2024 by winning 11 out of 15 of them because they were not spending their one hour trying to figure out issues with their car, compared to the likes of Mercedes or Ferrari.
And secondly, holding an inherent race pace advantage provides a boost when it comes to competing for the points across both the Saturday and Sunday. Albon demonstrated this in China by finishing seventh, whilst Sainz backed him up by finishing 10th.
Albon warns Williams against complacency in pursuit of success at F1 2025 Miami GP
However, whilst Sainz comes into the weekend with optimism in his mind and heart about the potential rewards of the Sprint Race, it’s a slightly different picture as far as his teammate is concerned.
Albon reminds the team it’s important to ensure they are on the ball, calling for them to be ready from the outset because they cannot afford to get anything wrong with just one hour to prepare.
“Miami is always a unique experience,” Albon added to Williams. “The atmosphere is incredible and it is a race that everyone looks forward to.
“It is a Sprint weekend which adds an extra layer of complexity. With limited time to tune the car, we will need to be ready from the first session.
“Carlos and I worked well together in Saudi Arabia, and the teamwork paid off with more points in the standings.
“We are in a strong position, we will try to keep the energy positive and run the tests cleanly to maximize our potential.”
