Williams tipped to receive major technical boost in 2025

Carlos Sainz's former race engineer from his McLaren days, Tom Stallard, has revealed his experience working with the 30-year-old driver, suggesting that his technical expertise and involvement in related matters could offer a major technical boost to Williams, the F1 team he joins in 2025.

After Ferrari announced Lewis Hamilton's signing in February, Sainz was forced to seek a new seat on the F1 grid. He ultimately secured a deal with Williams, a team led by James Vowles undergoing extensive transformation across all areas. The addition of Sainz, not only as a skilled racing driver but also as someone who can contribute valuable technical insights, is seen as a significant addition to the Grove-based outfit.

Sainz worked with Stallard during his two-year stint at McLaren in 2019 and 2020 before departing for Ferrari. Meanwhile, Stallard stayed with McLaren and now serves as Oscar Piastri's race engineer. When he was asked on the Beyond The Grid podcast about how Williams would benefit from Sainz next season, he said:

“Carlos is a brilliant driver to work with.

“Carlos once said to me, when we asked him what his ideal job in Formula 1 was, he said race engineer before he considered whether driver was an option!

“He loves the engineering and the technical side of Formula 1. It makes sense because his dad, Carlos Senior, is the same in rally.

“So I think they are getting someone who will really want to engage with their technical department, who will want to join engineering meetings and help them [to] be pushing in the right direction. He absolutely loves all that.”

Stallard revealed that Sainz is the only driver with whom he has maintained a close friendship, reflecting on their time working together. He described Sainz as a driver who can be demanding at times but in a constructive and positive way. Emphasizing that he would be a "big asset" to Williams, he added:

“Carlos is, probably of all the drivers I’ve worked with, the one I’ve stayed closest friends with when I’ve stopped working directly with them.

“He’s a really easy-going, nice guy to deal with. He’s kind of demanding when he needs to be demanding – you actually want to work with someone who’s demanding when things need to be demanding.

“But he’s funny, he’s a bit wacky, he’s definitely going to be a big asset to the Williams team and I think [he] will help them a lot.”