F1
Sainz loses momentum in China: "One of the strangest drops in performance of my career"
© Xavi Bonilla / DPPI
Carlos Sainz could have arrived in China with confidence despite a blunder in Australia. Since the winter tests, the Spaniard had looked at ease, performing well over single laps as well as long stints. Fast in Abu Dhabi during the post-season tests, effective in Bahrain during the winter tests and in the running in Melbourne before his accident, everything suggested that he would once again be a serious contender for points. However, in Shanghai, nothing went as planned.
From the start of the weekend, the new recruit Williams felt something was wrong. In qualifying, the lack of front grip prevented him from fighting at the front. In the race, the situation was even more brutal: “We had a good strategy, explained the Iberian at the F1 microphone. Unfortunately, with the pace of the car, we weren't there. We struggled a lot with the front tires again, and we had to do a lot of fuel saving during the race, which didn't help the front. The pace isn't there, I'm not sure what to make of it."
Sainz's performance plummets
Although a bearer of hope before the start of the season in a team that was no longer shining, Sainz finds himself facing difficulties that he does not seem to understand. "I'm not happy, to be honest, he confided. Since I got in the car during winter testing, I've been very fast. So I have no idea where that pace went this weekend. It's one of the strangest drops in performance I've had in my career."
Unlike his teammate Alex Albon, the former pilot Ferrari did not see the same benefits from the team's changes between qualifying and the race. “We made a lot of similar setup changes on both sides of the garage, Sainz wanted to remind. However, on Alex's side, it seemed to react well to the graining at the front and he was quite strong today. On my side, it didn't seem to help me much with the graining issues." Now it's time for analysis. Ten days before the Japanese Grand Prix, Sainz and his team will have to identify what went wrong if they hope to get back on track at Suzuka. From a scoring perspective, the Spanish driver leaves China with at least one point, a consequence of the three disqualifications he faces...
ALSO READ > Before China, what was the previous Grand Prix with so many disqualifications?
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Carrera46
24/03/2025 at 01:15 a.m.
It's surprising to see an experienced driver like him struggling while his teammate (Albon) is already riding high with 16 points. Even in qualifying, the difference is there, strange...
Yves-Henri RANDIER
24/03/2025 at 12:13 a.m.
Perhaps Sainz is concerned about the possible sale of Williams Racing, owned by Dorilton Capital since late 2020. Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is said to be in the running after having already invested in early 2024 in McLaren Group, which owns 67% of McLaren Racing.
vincent moyet
24/03/2025 at 11:15 a.m.
It's probably too early to predict a drop in motivation, but it could well come. Riders demoted to smaller teams generally have a burst of pride at first, then grow tired of only fighting for top 10 finishes.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
23/03/2025 at 06:54 a.m.
The "good driver downgraded" syndrome, going from a team fighting for the car to one that only aims for points? Surprising indeed, especially since Albon is performing well, even though he really suffered last year with Colapinto as a teammate.