Carlos Sainz comes to Miami with the hope of testing various improvements, visible and not so visible, but perhaps more important and to check if these new parts in the FW48 represent a good boost compared to its rivals. For the man from Madrid, as he always repeats, the position is not as important as the difference from the best and he wants to certify what has been done at Grove in these weeks of break.
The first thing he was asked to evaluate was the series of new measures implemented by the FIA, in agreement with the teams, to improve safety and to make the spectacle and sensations better. “We all sat together and tried, obviously, to improve the situation. I don’t think we are going to find a magic solution here that will suddenly change everything, but I consider that all the changes are sensible and, hopefully, they will make things a little more pleasant for us. So yes, just happy to see that we are collaborating and working together to make this sport better and more enjoyable,” Carlos congratulated himself, who asked after Japan that they listen to the protagonists.
“And as to whether it will make a big difference or not, obviously we will have the next few races to analyze, adapt and see if we need to make more changes,” he added of its impact. .
News at Williams
Carlos then spoke about the new features in his car for this weekend: “Certainly, we have brought quite a few updates to the car, so it will be different; but it is not so much about how different it looks, but rather about how much performance these changes add to the car,” he assesses.
“And in that sense, given that everyone seems to be bringing quite a few improvements, I don’t think our position will change drastically. But, hopefully, it is the beginning of our road to recovery throughout the year. My feeling is that, although it will be a good step, a positive step for the team, if we look at it in relative terms (if the others also bring great updates), we are not going to be able to advance much on the grid,” he predicts cautiously.
“So we’ll see; hopefully it will be our first step and, from there, I think we will have to wait until later in the season to introduce the largest improvements,” he assessed about the path they still have to travel.
Regarding whether they are only aerodynamic or intended to reduce weight, Sainz confesses that both things. “Yes, some of them should be visible, while others will obviously be focused on weight. However, weight is a more difficult task that will take us almost all year to solve: to eliminate all that extra weight that we currently have on the car. So they will be small steps, but hopefully, later in the season, we will make bigger steps. And I suppose, until then, it will be a combination of aerodynamic and weight improvements; we will just try to improve the situation. But, as I said before, I think the “more important steps will come later in the year,” he elaborated on the improvements to his Williams.
The possible rain on Sunday with these cars
And the question came about the threat of storms this Sunday and on a delicate track like this, due to the asphalt and the walls. “Yes, obviously I think that the question of what will happen if it rains is on everyone’s mind. As you know, I have always defended the position that 350 kilowatts of power are not necessary and I hope that we can find a way to reduce them, perhaps to 250 or 300, for the race,” he asked about that possibility of water and the delivery of energy.
“Obviously, as we saw last year on the straights, a lot of stagnant water tends to accumulate here. It is an extremely flat circuit; the water stays on the surface. And the question of whether that will be safe enough or not, having the walls so close and given the visibility we have with these cars, will undoubtedly be a cause for concern. But hey, I hope we can take all the appropriate measures in this regard. Hopefully we can put on a good show, a good race. I think all the drivers want to race in the wet. Racing in the rain is a lot of fun. First of all, I love running in the wet, but with the right safety measures,” Sainz concluded.
