Williams under fire as Carlos Sainz is "getting nowhere" in bid to turn team around

Jolyon Palmer believes Carlos Sainz is struggling to inspire a Williams turnaround as the team continues to underperform

Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Carlos Sainz is "getting nowhere" in his determined attempts to lead Williams out of its current performance slump.

Palmer addressed recent comments from Sainz, who admitted to feeling frustrated and concerned after an upgraded front wing on the FW48 failed to produce the anticipated performance gains at the British Grand Prix.

"They're underperforming," Palmer said of the Grove outfit during the F1 Nation podcast. "They have the power unit that's winning the championship. Everyone else is doing an all right job with that power unit. Alpine have risen to the front in their first year with that. Williams has had an old partnership with Mercedes. That is no excuse."

Sainz was forced to look around for a new contract in 2024 when seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton announced he would be joining Ferrari from 2025, replacing the Spanish driver. After considering his options, Sainz ultimately signed for Williams, buying into the long-term goals of the team.

"That is also partly why Carlos went to Williams when he had offers from Alpine, from Audi. He's a driver in demand. He's a race winner. He's a seriously intelligent guy who's trying to be a leader in the team, and he's just getting nowhere with them," Palmer continued.

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I remember James Vowles in Miami was saying, 'We've basically fixed the car on paper. We just need to then bring the parts to the car and we'll see the performance come. We're down to weight on paper.' Great. 'But we need to put the parts on the car when the cost cap allows, and we'll get there.'

"So then they bring upgrades, and they're still languishing with two drivers who should be fighting for points every week or better. I'm just so disappointed in Williams. You'd have thought they'd at least be able to upgrade it quickly and by the summer they'd be back towards the midfield, but they're actually not really getting much closer on the whole.

"They obviously have the odd weekend when they're able to wrangle a point or two, but I think if you're Sainz and if you're Albon, you're miffed with this because everything should be in place to put this together, and it's just not coming for them."

After the first nine rounds of the season, Williams sits eighth in the constructors' championship with 11 points.