“Just a shame”: Carlos Sainz reacts after disappointing result in Hungary

It was another Sunday to forget for Carlos Sainz as the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix ended in disappointment for the Spaniard. Running a one-stop strategy through a crowded midfield, the Williams driver briefly threatened the top 10, but eventually finished outside the points.

A late-race clash with Pierre Gasly sealed the outcome for Sainz, on a weekend where, by his own admission, there wasn't enough pace in the car. The FW47 lacked speed all weekend at the Hungaroring.

Speaking after the race, Sainz summed up his weekend (via F1):

"It was a cleaner weekend for us. It's just a shame it's not on a weekend where the car is strong. P13 looked like the maximum, which is where we would've been without the incident with Gasly. We tried to do a one-stop but that was probably too optimistic going from the Soft (tires) to the Hard, but we tried to do something different before switching to the two-stop."

Carlos Sainz started 13th, one spot ahead of teammate Alex Albon. They both opted for an aggressive soft tire start, which paid off in terms of early track position. But the real battle unfolded in the pits and in traffic.

It was ultimately a doomed strategy call. Pitting on Lap 15 for harder compounds while stuck in traffic meant Sainz was always going to be vulnerable to the undercut. And while he did make ground, passing Yuki Tsunoda, then Nico Hulkenberg, and even fighting his way into the top 10 for a few laps, Gasly's clumsy lunge at Turn 2 undid it all.

The contact sent Carlos Sainz onto the concrete, and despite the 10-second penalty for Gasly, he failed to recover lost ground. The Spaniard ended the race 14th, one place ahead of Albon.

The frustration was shared within the team. Team Principal James Vowles pointed to a recurring trend that's hurt their progress all season.

"A difficult weekend. We need to make sure that we learn and understand why we can be strong on one circuit and poor in others. It's a pattern that's been consistent over years, but we need to break out of it in order for us to be able to move up the grid," Vowles told F1.

Albon, meanwhile, had a near-identical race. After jumping three positions at the start, he found himself boxed into the same DRS train that haunted Sainz's race. While Albon was on a Soft-Medium-Hard strategy, neither had the tire advantage or clear air they needed to mount a real charge.

As McLaren celebrated a commanding 1-2, and rivals scored heavily, Williams left Budapest without adding to the team's 70-point total.

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"I'm leaving the first half of the season slightly disappointed": Carlos Sainz reflects on debut Williams campaign

Carlos Sainz after the Hungarian GP in Hungaroring. Source: Getty

13 races into his Williams career, Carlos Sainz knows this isn't how the story was supposed to go. Out of 14 weekends, he has finished behind Alex Albon in 11. His tally of 16 points is dwarfed by Albon's 54. And for a four-time race winner coming off a Ferrari stint, this hasn't looked like a smooth transition.

Expectations were always going to be a mixed bag. With Lewis Hamilton heading to Ferrari, Sainz seemed like a natural fit for Williams. But results have been elusive. The FW47 is sensitive to track characteristics - strong on straights, fragile in corners - and Sainz has struggled to string together consistent weekends. Hungary was just the latest in a string of missed chances.

"I'm leaving the first half of the season slightly disappointed as we didn't maximise the weekends where we were stronger, but hopefully the second half of the season is the other way around. A big thanks to the team for their massive effort and to all our fans for their endless support. We'll reset, recharge and come back stronger for the rest of the season."

Still, the second half of the F1 season holds possibilities. Tracks like Monza and Las Vegas should suit the FW47's straight-line strengths. If Williams can nail its setup window and stay clear of midfield chaos, Carlos Sainz may yet turn the narrative around. But the gap to Albon shows how difficult adaptation has been.

Edited by Tushar Bahl