The Spaniard has only scored two points so far this season. The FW48 suffers from aerodynamic and weight problems, the April break has been used to work, but the risk is that the rivals will also advance.
So far, the only points Williams has scored in the 2026 Formula 1 season were at the Chinese Grand Prix, where Carlos Sainz finished in ninth position, although the Spaniard benefited from the fact that most of the main drivers who are his direct rivals had retired from the race.
Given this situation, the driver from Madrid hopes that the FW48's problems, both aerodynamically and in terms of the car's weight, will be solved ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
"I hope the team makes a big effort to present something at the Miami GP that represents a good step forward. At the same time, everything is relative in the sport," Sainz declared. The Spanish driver is aware that the context is complex: "You can take a big step, but if everyone else does the same, you don't advance, you're still a few tenths behind the midfield pack."
So far, Carlos Sainz's on track battles have been mainly against the two Alpines, against Audi and even on some occasions against Haas, therefore, the Spaniard insists that Williams must bring more upgrades than its direct competitors to be able to stay one step ahead. The almost month long break, caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, has been very good for the British team to continue developing the FW48, something Sainz himself acknowledged after the Japanese race.
The Spaniard's debut year at Williams began in a very complicated way. He went through six consecutive Grands Prix outside the points, however, from mid season onwards, he was able to feel much more comfortable with the FW47 and even managed to score three podiums: at the Azerbaijan GP, in Qatar and in the United States Sprint, it was a good trend that was expected to be replicated in 2026, a season where all eyes were on the new regulations.
The team boss himself, James Vowles, assured at the time that they were going to allocate all the time, resources and budget of the 2025 season to prepare for the new regulations, something the rest of the teams were already doing, however, Williams was the only team that did not attend the Barcelona 'shakedown', then, in preseason testing, they were able to recover, but with many fewer laps than their direct competitors.
Carlos Sainz arrived at Williams after Ferrari bet on Lewis Hamilton for the future, the Spaniard was looking for new opportunities on the grid, such as Alpine or Mercedes, Toto Wolff himself confessed that he had advanced conversations with the driver.
Finally, Sainz opted for the British team, now, with the FW48, he hopes that Williams' effort in Miami will allow him to make a small leap in quality and get closer to his rivals.