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Carlos Sainz bringing Ferrari experience to Williams

No time for Sainz to be emotional: 'I wanted to memorise the SF-24 to help Williams'

10 December 2024 at 15:00

There was not much time for Carlos Sainz to rest after the Abu Dhabi GP. After the Spaniard finished in second place, he already drove for Williams on Monday, and then today he took part in the Pirelli Tyre Test.

Carlos Sainz was given the opportunity to join Williams early. Unlike Lewis Hamilton for example who will go on a 'farewell tour' with Mercedes, he could drive for Williams the two days following the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi GP.

During his final laps for Ferrari, he already had his upcoming schedule on his mind. "Being very honest with you, I don't think [it's hard to change teams quickly]. I think, I'm not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team and trying to, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, remember how this feels. because tomorrow and Tuesday I need to remember why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good?" he explained.

The Spaniard wants to take as much as possible over to help his new team next season. "Because I know probably what I'm going to find tomorrow [Monday] and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car. So this just sums up that I'm already looking also ahead. I'm extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me."

He concluded: "We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster."

After the morning test on Tuesday, it was indeed the Spaniard who led the session ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. His fastest lap time was a 1:24.435.


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