Williams Make ‘Downloading’ Carlos Sainz Reveal After Ferrari ‘Erase’ Lewis Hamilton’s Memory
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Williams Make ‘Downloading’ Carlos Sainz Reveal After Ferrari ‘Erase’ Lewis Hamilton’s Memory
Williams ambassador Jenson Button has revealed that the team is in the process of "downloading" Carlos Sainz’s knowledge and expertise from his time at Ferrari and McLaren. The revelation follows weeks after it was reported that Ferrari had taken extreme measures to “erase” Lewis Hamilton’s memory of his time at Mercedes. These efforts are aimed at helping both Sainz and Hamilton adapt to their new teams and build successful seasons in 2025.
Sainz's Move to Williams: A New Beginning
Carlos Sainz is set to begin his first season as a Williams driver, having signed a multi-year deal with the Grove-based team in the summer of 2024. This move comes after Sainz was informed that Ferrari would not be renewing his contract beyond 2024, instead opting to sign Hamilton for 2025. Despite the sudden change, Sainz ended his tenure at Ferrari with notable success, claiming victories in both Australia and Mexico in 2024.
His victory in Melbourne was particularly remarkable, given it came just two weeks after Sainz had to miss the previous race in Saudi Arabia due to appendicitis. Having taken over from Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in 2021, Sainz leaves the team with four wins and six pole positions under his belt, marking a successful chapter in his career.
Learning from McLaren and Ferrari: Sainz’s Expertise at Williams
With Sainz’s move to Williams confirmed, Button shared insights into how the team is leveraging the driver’s wealth of experience. Speaking on the Fast and Curious podcast, Button stated, “It’s a great line-up [of Sainz and Alex Albon]. And from what Carlos and the team have said, they’ve just been ‘downloading’ him over the last few months. They’ve been trying to take all of his experience working with McLaren and Ferrari over the years to gain insight into how those teams operate.”
Williams sees Sainz’s knowledge as invaluable as they work to strengthen their car development and team strategy for the 2025 season. Sainz had his first experience with the Williams FW47 car during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, followed by a shakedown at Silverstone in February. With the official three-day pre-season test set to start in Bahrain on February 26, 2025, Sainz is eager to begin his journey with the team.
Sainz’s Ambition: Bringing Williams Back to Glory
Despite joining a Williams team that finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2024, Sainz remains hopeful about the team’s future and his ability to lead them to victory. The Spaniard has made it clear that he wants to win again, and he believes his experience will help accelerate Williams' recovery. In a recent interview, Sainz shared, “I want to win. I am coming to Williams to try and help the process of recovery to the top of the field in as short a time as possible. If one day I can get on a podium or get a win with Williams, that moment will be for sure the proudest moment of my career.”
Ferrari’s “Memory Wipe” of Hamilton: Adapting to New Challenges
Meanwhile, Ferrari is also undergoing its own transformation as it works to integrate Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, into their team for 2025. Reports from Italy indicate that Ferrari has been intentionally altering simulator settings to help Hamilton forget his extensive knowledge of Mercedes systems, which could hinder his ability to adapt to Ferrari’s setup.
Hamilton’s 12-season tenure with Mercedes has made him accustomed to their particular car dynamics, including the braking system, which uses Carbon Industrie brakes compared to Ferrari’s Brembo brakes. Sources suggest that Ferrari has been working with Hamilton to adjust to their systems, especially after his struggles with the braking system during early simulator sessions.
Hamilton, however, is no stranger to change. After transitioning from McLaren to Mercedes in 2012, he is no stranger to adapting to new technologies and team dynamics. In a recent interview, Hamilton discussed the challenges he faced with Ferrari’s car setup and controls, describing it as a “completely different” experience. “The steering wheel is completely different, everything, all these switches are completely different,” said Hamilton. “The software is different, everything. Not only am I having to adapt to that, I am adapting to a car that’s made quite differently from what I’ve worked with in the past to achieve a similar sort of thing.”
Looking Ahead to the 2025 Season
Both Sainz and Hamilton face significant challenges as they prepare for the upcoming 2025 Formula 1 season, but both are motivated by the opportunity to achieve new successes with their new teams. With Williams focused on leveraging Sainz’s experience and Ferrari working to integrate Hamilton into their systems, the 2025 season promises to be an exciting chapter in the careers of these two accomplished drivers.
The pre-season tests in Bahrain will be the first real opportunity to assess the performance of both teams, as Sainz gets his first competitive run with Williams and Hamilton adapts to Ferrari. Fans and pundits alike will be closely watching to see how these high-profile moves play out and what the future holds for both drivers.
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