Carlos Sainz gives Williams the nudge it needed

In just 12 months, Williams has pulled off the biggest performance leap in Formula 1. After finishing with the ninth-best car in 2024, the British team mathematically secured fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship at the Qatar Grand Prix 2025. It’s their best result since 2015—and the first season with multiple podiums since that year, when Mercedes power dominated the grid.

Carlos Sainz, the difference-maker

The man behind both podiums? Carlos Sainz. In Baku, he spoke of “relief” at salvaging the season. In Losail, he shifted the tone to “pride,” delivering a podium at a track that had historically been a nightmare for the FW47.

James Vowles, Williams’ team principal and architect of their steady rise, praised the effort: “A fantastic and exceptional performance from Carlos and the team when it mattered most. Securing the podium by thousandths of a second is a reward for the incredible work this year. I was proud after Baku, but the second podium is a dream come true—especially at a circuit that was arguably our worst last season. We’ve reinvented ourselves, and the results speak for themselves. Last year we were second-to-last, now we’ve locked in fifth place.”

Numbers tell the story

Williams scored just 17 points last year. This season? A staggering 137. Alex Albon is on track to finish eighth in the Drivers’ standings—the “best of the rest”—thanks to a consistent start that included four fifth-place finishes. Yet Sainz’s late-season surge eclipsed even Albon’s strong run, delivering podiums on pure pace that few thought possible for Oxford’s squad.

Minimal upgrades, maximum results

Remarkably, Williams introduced only a handful of updates in 2025, running essentially the same car from Australia onward. The game-changer was Sainz himself, who poured energy into fine-tuning every detail, squeezing out every fraction of a second the FW47 could offer. The payoff came in Qatar, sealing a season that redefined expectations for Williams.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.