David Croft tells Carlos Sainz he’s created a ‘big problem’ at Williams since leaving Ferrari

Follow us on Google Discover

Carlos Sainz will hope that the summer break has provided the reset he needs after a tricky start to life at Williams.

Very few drivers in Formula 1 have switched teams as much as Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard swapped Ferrari for Williams at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season, although it’s not a change he would have made if the decision was up to him.

Sainz was forced out of Ferrari by the arrival of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton during contract negotiations over a new deal.

Both drivers have quickly discovered how difficult it can be to adapt to a new team.

Sainz has a 38-point deficit to make up to his new teammate, Alex Albon, who has reacted perfectly to the challenge of a four-time race winner arriving at Williams.

Sainz is providing Williams with a concern that doesn’t exist with Albon, and while team principal James Vowles has plenty of faith in the Spaniard, they will want to see him close the gap to his teammate before the start of next season.

David Croft and Karun Chandhok were analysing Sainz’s start to life at Williams, and believe his performances in qualifying are creating a ‘big problem’ for the team.

READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

Carlos Sainz’s qualifying performances are creating a ‘big problem’ for Williams

Chandhok was reviewing Sainz’s time at Williams on Sky Sports F1 during the second free practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday and said: “Carlos, he needs a bit of a bump, doesn’t he, in terms of this season? If you look at where he is compared to Albon, he’s a long way behind in terms of the points standings.

“For Carlos, it hasn’t quite happened for him, has it? Early on, there were some decent results, but if you look at it, he’s now only got 16 points on the board compared to 54 for Albon.

“He’s now been in Q3 for the last seven Grand Prix.”

Croft replied: “And that’s his big problem at the moment.”

Chandhok continued: “And if you consider the early part [of the season], he was in Q3 for five out of seven [races].

“Now, some of that is that the opposition have gotten stronger. At the start of the year, Williams really looked strong, and people now like Aston [Martin] have picked up the pace.

“But, still, it does look like Carlos needs to find some qualifying form.”

READ MORE: Best moments of Carlos Sainz’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win, title and more

How do Carlos Sainz’s qualifying performances compare to Alex Albon and his midfield rivals?

Fans were left blown away by Sainz’s qualifying display in Miami, as he put his Williams on the third row of the grid, directly ahead of Albon.

Sainz recorded three sixth-place starts in a row, either side of Miami, but his performances have dropped off since then.

Only the two worst qualifiers on the grid this season, Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto, have failed to reach Q3 since Sainz’s last top 10 appearance.

The Spaniard ranks 11th in terms of average qualifying position this year, just ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and behind Fernando Alonso.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar is the best qualifier beyond the top four teams in Formula 1 this season.

It might be why Red Bull are lining up a promotion for Hadjar, considering the difficulties Tsunoda and Liam Lawson have had alongside Max Verstappen this season.

The aim for Sainz at Zandvoort on Saturday is to bring that run to an end.