While Carlos Sainz is faring better than expected at Williams, where he sought refuge after Ferrari, Fernando Alonso is patiently biding his time and dreaming of better days next year at Aston Martin.
Even though enthusiasm was not high when he signed with Williams, the Spaniard has managed to enjoy himself despite modest results. At the same stage of the Championship last year, Carlos Sainz had four podiums, including a victory in Australia. A huge luxury compared to his 2025 record, which at best consists of two 8th places and at worst two retirements. The Spaniard experienced a serious decompression when moving from Ferrari to Williams. He obviously didn’t want it, it’s rather Lewis Hamilton‘s fault, who deprived him of a red seat by joining the Scuderia.
But the balance sheet is not so bad, all things considered. If his points remain meager (12 in total), Sainz (30 years old) does not go unnoticed, in the race as well as in qualification. He secures third rows, and the mid-table he frequents on Sundays feels like a victory for a team that only accumulated 17 measly points throughout the entire last season.
Upon reflection, the Madrilenian is therefore a happy driver, even if he has descended several floors. “I am very happy with the first eight races, the results and the moment the team is going through,” he insisted on Thursday at a press conference. “If you had told me a year ago that we would consistently beat a Ferrari, a Red Bull or a Mercedes in qualification, I would have signed my contract even earlier and with even more joy.”
This could mean that Sainz did not really commit with a light heart, as he just revealed having discussed unsuccessfully with Red Bull. But such is the life of an F1 driver, who can control many things but not the timing of contracts on a grid with a limited number of places. Now that he is committed to Williams, the four-time Grand Prix winner has no choice but to devote himself to team work, which he wants to improve “over the entire weekend, which is clearly our weak point.” The fruits will hardly be visible in Catalonia, on a circuit that Sainz appreciates for “the good vibes” given to him by the Spanish public, but which he imagines is not well suited to his single-seater. “If I had to design a track for the FW47, it would not look like that of Barcelona,” he admits. “We don’t really like long medium-speed turns.”
Carlos Sainz Jr: Racing for the Future
Regardless of his ranking points, which he has ceased to obsess over, and regardless of the prestige of a driver who is now questioned less about his performance and more about random topics, Carlos Sainz Jr is racing for the future. The spotlight can wait.
Having scored no points since the start of the season, the veteran Aston Martin driver is already looking ahead to 2026.
Fernando Alonso: Awaiting the Future
Even in a sport where time is of the essence, and at nearly 44 years old (he will turn 44 at the end of July), one can afford to wait. Especially when there is no other choice. Fernando Alonso, who has no illusions about his age, knows that the packed stands of a Catalonian circuit, of which the Asturian native has just been named ambassador, will not propel his Aston Martin to the front of the pack. Nor will he relive the thrill of a Formula 1 victory this Sunday, twelve years after his last success here with Ferrari.
A top 10 finish would already be a satisfaction for the driver who has yet to score any points in eight races, marking his worst start to a season since his debut with Minardi in 2001. “Our hopes now rest on 2026, as we are well aware that we can’t do much this year to revolutionize the established order,” observed the double world champion on Thursday, who has just completed his first two Q3s of the year, at Imola and Monaco.
Looking Ahead
Just two years ago, in his first season with Aston Martin, the Iberian arrived in Barcelona full of wild hope, after six podiums in as many races. The unexpected streak ended there, in front of his home crowd (7th), and the team based in Silverstone has since fallen back into the soft belly of the pack. The exceptional competitor that he remains, Alonso is clinging to the upcoming technical upheaval and sees 2025 as a “transition phase”. “Even though we are already looking towards 2026, the current season is still important to create momentum and maintain confidence in ourselves and our tools,” he warns, however, to keep his team under pressure.
The recent arrival of British genius Adrian Newey (“his mere presence pushes the rest of the team to surpass themselves”) and the upcoming return of a Honda engine, which he despised during his McLaren years (2015-2018), are the arguments that allow Alonso to still believe in a happy end to his career, as his contract will expire at the end of 2026. “Even if the results are not what I would like at the moment, I remain happy and motivated,” he assures. “Nothing guarantees that it will last. I’ve had a steering wheel in my hands for forty years, so it will have to stop one day. I’ve already made the choice to distance myself from F1 once (end of 2018), then I came back (in 2021, with Alpine). This time, I’ll have to be 100% sure.” Tomorrow never dies, especially when you’re driving an Aston Martin like James Bond.
