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Carlos Sainz just earned Williams some much-needed points, but he doesn’t want anyone to celebrate just yet.
After a chaotic start to the 2026 season, Williams finally have points on the board thanks to Carlos Sainz’s P9 finish at the Chinese Grand Prix.
It was about as good an end to the race as Williams could have hoped for, especially after Alex Albon was ruled out of the race due to a hydraulic issue.
Disaster for Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto as they fail to start the Chinese Grand Prix!
Despite Sainz saying Williams couldn’t score points, his performance in Shanghai will be a big boost to their campaign, especially given the issues they’re facing.
Sainz is one of the smartest F1 drivers on the grid. But his latest comments suggest he knows more about Williams’ issues.
READ MORE: Williams must explore Christian Horner deal or risk Carlos Sainz exit amid pressure on James Vowles
Carlos Sainz claims P9 finish isn’t what he is aiming for with Williams
Carlos Sainz spoke after the Chinese Grand Prix about his performance. Despite earning Williams some much-needed points, Sainz called for the team to stay motivated.
He believes Williams should be aiming higher than P9, and wants the whole team to use this experience as motivation to address their issues.
“In the end, it’s still a P9 for me. It’s still not what I want, and it’s… Even though it’s good points for me, good points for the team, I really hope it serves as motivation, as a boost, for everyone back at home to dig deep now.”
“It’s not the season we want, the start of the season we wanted. It’s not what our intentions were with this car.”
“So we need this result, I think, to push hard back in the factory to start bringing performance because the reality is that today, even fighting with midfield cars, I felt like I had no chance.”
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz should have accepted ‘very lucrative’ offer from Williams rivals when he left Ferrari
Prove us wrong – Carlos Sainz made a mistake signing for Williams over Audi
Carlos Sainz could come to regret Williams move if season doesn’t improve
There has been a lot of talk about Carlos Sainz’s frustration with Williams this season. The former Ferrari driver isn’t getting the experience he had hoped for when he signed with Williams.
Guenther Steiner has claimed Sainz will regret signing with Williams in the long run. And with the way the season has started for him, the long run might not be too far away.
Williams are taking a medium-term approach to their issues this season, which suggests that his frustration is bound to continue.
But if James Vowles cannot get these issues sorted out in time, he might risk Sainz attempting to leave the team the first chance he gets.
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