Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

‘A vindication’: Sainz says 2025 results justify gamble with Williams.
…a statement season with Williams – one that explains, and justifies, why the Spaniard chose Grove as his home in F1.
23/12/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Reflecting on a whirlwind season, Sainz admitted how quickly it all unfolded. “It’s gone much quicker than I thought it would!” he told F1.com. “The fact that we are on the run so much in between races, non-stop… The sport is growing massively, so you do more marketing, more travelling, more races… By the end of the year, you cannot understand how it’s all flown by.”

“But, if you told me at the beginning of the year that there was going to be fifth position for Williams at the end of the championship, a good step forward, closing the gap to the top teams, and a couple of podiums, I would have taken it. It’s been a good year overall.” And with results in hand, Sainz feels his decision has finally been validated.

“Also, when I signed with Williams in the summer of 2024, if I would have told people that I’m joining them because these results are going to happen, they wouldn’t have fully believed me. I have the results now to back why I chose this team—a vindication,” the Spaniard maintained.

‘A vindication’;

https://f1i.com/news/556677-a-vindic...-williams.html


The Sainz Effect: Red Bull’s Missed Masterstroke?
December 22, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Jacques Villeneuve certainly thinks so. The 1997 World Champion has been banging the drum all season: Sainz has a habit of lifting every team he steps into. And if there’s one thing Red Bull’s Verstappen-era juggernaut has intermittently lacked, it’s a true second spear to press both Max and the car. The history is well-trodden. Sainz and Verstappen came up together at Toro Rosso, and the atmosphere — drivers and fathers included — got tense enough that Red Bull’s then-powerbroker Helmut Marko kept the pair apart when the big seat opened. When Ferrari cut Sainz loose in favour of Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull again looked elsewhere.

Marko, never one to varnish, later called the Toro Rosso dynamic “toxic” and argued the choice at the time was obvious. Sainz didn’t share the view. He’s said repeatedly the rivalry was hard but healthy, and that today he and Max get along: if anything, he reckons they’d form the nastiest one-two punch on the grid. The irony? Sainz has spent 2025 proving his point. Williams jumped from ninth last year to a robust fifth in the Constructors’ standings, with Sainz banking two podiums — including a P3 in Baku, Williams’ first full-race podium since 2017. That’s not just a step forward; that’s a renovation.

‘Sainz has a habit of lifting every team he steps into’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/the-sain...-masterstroke/


How Carlos Sainz has elevated Alex Albon’s level at Williams
20 Dec 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Alex Albon has explained how the arrival of Carlos Sainz at Williams has helped transform the team and elevated his own Formula 1 performances. “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from Carlos is more the non-driving side of things, the way that we conduct meetings and develop the car in the simulator and go about our free practice programmes,” said Albon. “Things like that which you can see the experience with Carlos in that way.”

“I could definitely say I had the majority of the preferential treatment in previous years,” he explained. “In terms of us two working together more backwards and forwards – we call it ‘feedback ping-pong’, where we’re just kind of having the same opinions about the car. We speak in a very similar language. Carlos is more experienced than I am, but in terms of our age and our approach, we handle things in a very similar way.”

“In terms of pushing me, it’s great to have someone with a different dataset to have a look at, different driving style to me. We want similar things in the car, we actually normally arrive to qualifying with a very similar set-up. When you have a team-mate who’s a step up, you learn more. There’s more to learn in terms of your driving style. There’s some corners that you were previously quick at, which you’re now the same as [your team-mate]. And there are some corners that you need to learn, adapt, drive differently.”

“Transform the team and elevated his own Formula 1 performances”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...l-at-williams/


Sainz pens heartfelt end-of-season letter to Williams staff
19/12/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Carlos Sainz didn’t just walk away from his first season at Williams with results on the board — he left behind something far more personal. Rather than letting those achievements speak for themselves, Sainz chose to address the people behind the scenes directly.

“As we close out a remarkable first season together, I want to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for the incredible welcome I have received since day one at Grove,” the four-time Grand Prix winner wrote to his fellow team members. I knew I was joining a very special team, but our first year together has exceeded all my expectations. This specially designed print is a small gesture of appreciation, and I hope it serves as a reminder of what we accomplished together during 2025.”

“It is thanks to your dedication and commitment that we have been able to achieve our most ambitious goal this year: securing P5 in the constructors' championship, while also having a bit of fun along the way with the podiums in Baku and Qatar, and the sprint podium in Austin. Those highlights are not mine they are a direct result of your efforts and our teamwork, and I truly hope you feel as proud as I do of every point we have scored.”

“Sincere gratitude to each and every one of you”;

https://f1i.com/news/556545-sainz-pe...ams-staff.html


The Sainz effect that would make him the perfect Verstappen teammate
22 Dec 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Passed over by Red Bull because of yesteryear’s rivalry with Max Verstappen, Red Bull may have missed a trick as Jacques Villeneuve believes Carlos Sainz makes every team that he joins “better every time”. Quizzed on why Sainz is already to do that, Villeneuve replied: “He’s working on the car. That’s all. He actually understands what the car is doing, and he’s thinking about it, like Max, he’s always thinking about racing and about the car.”

“He knows what he needs. And it’s not a question of, there’s understeer, there’s oversteer. No, that’s useless. That is completely useless. There are times when you have to adapt your driving to understand what the problem with the car is, so you can fix it, so you can go back to your normal driving style and so on.” The 1997 World Champion reckons Sainz and Verstappen share characteristics that make set them apart from other racers.

“Most drivers get out of the car, look at the data, and then they have the answers, but they don’t actually have the question,” he revealed. “So the answer is to give them the questions, and oftentimes you’ll see them going in a completely wrong direction. But that’s the modern way of racing. Max is very old-fashioned in that, and I think Carlos is as well. He’ll use the data a lot, but he actually has a comprehension of what is happening to the car as he’s driving,” he added.

“He knows what he needs”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/the-ca...-bull-teammate


Sainz tipped as Alonso’s successor in potential Aston Martin move
18 Dec 2025
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Guenther Steiner has tipped Carlos Sainz for a potential move to Aston Martin following an impressive debut season with Williams. “…Aston Martin presents Sainz’s best opportunities moving forward.” - Guenther Steiner.

“Some teams are keeping an eye on him now, even if they won’t admit it. It’s as if they questioned whether they wanted Carlos in a championship fight. Sometimes these decisions are made, and you can’t go back,” Steiner said via the Red Flag podcast. The former Haas F1 team boss, however, admitted that a move back to the current frontrunning outfit would be a tall order considering his age.

“I think it will be very difficult to move up unless you’re a rookie. There are opportunities out there. A return to Ferrari seems highly unlikely, as does a switch to Red Bull or Mercedes. But there’s always a chance with one of the other teams that are showing great promise,” he added. “I would say Williams or Aston Martin present Sainz’s best opportunities moving forward. Honestly, I don’t believe Fernando can race for another five years. He will likely have one more year, maybe two at best.”

‘Sainz tipped as Alonso’s successor’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/sainz...on-martin-move

[Fortitude]

Lawrence Stroll says “patience” necessary for Aston Martin project.
Aston Martin are one of the teams that could cause an upset in 2026. The British squad have the resources, facilities and quality of engineers required to become front-runners.
22 Dec 2025
Last Word On Sports

Since Lawrence Stroll bought Aston Martin, the team have been described as potential threats to the established order at the front. An electric start to the 2023 season, whilst being short-lived, was early evidence of Aston’s ambitions. That said, the team’s results in the last two years have been disappointing. Poor mid-season development in 2024 and a lacklustre package across 2025 triggered a series of changes at the Silverstone-based operation. Easily the most recognised was the acquisition of Adrian Newey.

“First was putting together the facilities, [the] most important was putting together the team of people. Obviously, getting Adrian Newey to join was monumental. He’s been with us since the beginning of March. We have Andy Cowell, Enrico Cardile, plus hundreds of other people. We have Honda being our power unit partner.”

“Being a works team for the first time in our life is a whole different experience. “The whole team’s forming into place, and we’re looking forward next year to a huge rule and regulation change. The biggest challenge now is putting everything together, making it all happen. I’m quite confident it will, but you have to have the patience.”

“Patience”;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...artin-project/


Honda reveals Aston Martin F1 goal ahead of 2026 partnership
23 Dec 2025
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe outlined the goals for Honda in its first year with Aston Martin, with integration between UK and Japan at the forefront. “[The] definition of success for me [is that] 2026 is a year to ensure the partnership we have created between Aston Martin and Honda is functioning as planned, as one integrated team,” he said on Aston Martin’s Undercut web-series.

“We need to ensure we have the values we have aimed for and that we achieve our performance goals. The thing we can’t predict, and is beyond our control, is the status of our competitors,” he said. “Before we know that, we can’t talk about anything beyond meeting our own internal goals for the season. Of course, in the longer term, the ultimate goal of this partnership, and our definition of success, is winning the World Championship.”

“It’s very important to take a long-term view of this. Our relationship with Aston Martin is going beyond a technical collaboration – we are sharing a common vision. There is a lot of passion in the team at the AMR Technology Campus, but also a great deal of quality. Pair that with Honda’s development skills and ability to provide winning power units, and we have the potential to be successful in F1, not just in 2026, but also ’27, ’28 and beyond.”

“Functioning as planned, as one integrated team”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...6-partnership/


Alonso warns rivals of Aston Martin's future success, but warns timing is key
19 Dec 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Fernando Alonso has no doubt that Aston Martin will succeed, but is cautious about the time frame. Speaking to GPblog, Alonso explained: "Yes, I think so. I mean, the factory is completed. The wind tunnel is brand new and completed and we are using it. We have Adrian Newey, Andy Cowell, Enrico Cardile. I mean, we have great people and great talent in the factory. We just need to put everything in place."

However, the Spaniard also underlined that it might take some time to figure out how to put everything together. He continued: "Facilities are new, people are just a few months into the system, [whether] it will be enough this few months or we need one full season to glue everything together, that's the thing, I don't know. Aston Martin will succeed, I think it's, for me, a guarantee. The biggest question is when and that's what we all try to make it [happen] as soon as possible."

‘Timing is key’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/alons...-timing-is-key


Watanabe: Honda, Aston Martin 'on the eve of something special'
17/12/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

A new chapter is quietly gathering momentum in Formula 1 – and if Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe is to be believed, it’s one filled with belief, patience and big ambition. As Honda prepares to return to the grid as a full works partner with Aston Martin in 2026, Watanabe says the project is approaching a defining moment.

Honda’s decision to align with Aston Martin was no accident. Watanabe says the Silverstone-based team stood out immediately, not just for its facilities but for the people driving the project. “We've always been careful in the partners we select,” said Watanabe. “In this instance, I was very impressed with the team's leadership and with the passion and vision of Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll. He's very competitive – always with a view to winning. It's very impressive.”

“You can see the desire to succeed expressed in the new facilities at the AMR Technology Campus, but also in the way the organisation has been strengthened over the past few years with experienced personnel. The commitment and focus of the team are very strong, and this was very attractive to us. Exciting too.”

“He's very competitive – always with a view to winning”;

https://f1i.com/news/556468-watanabe...g-special.html


Lawrence Stroll's vital plea ahead of Aston Martin's F1 2026 key transition
23 DEC 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin F1's owner, will oversee the outfit's transition into a full works team when its exclusive power unit deal with Japanese manufacturer Honda starts in 2026, and admits expectations couldn't be higher.

"We're really looking forward to next year with a huge rule change. It's going to be another big step forward; we have Honda as our power unit partner, we're going to be a works team for the first time ever, it's a completely different experience," Stroll told Motorsport.

"[Expectations] are very high, as high as they can be. Now we need to give everyone some time to come together and work to bring these exciting new rules and regulations coming next year up to our very high expectations—as high as they can possibly get," the Canadian team owner concluded.

“Another big step forward”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/lawre...key-transition


Adrian Newey spots F1 'loophole' as 'frightening' Aston Martin results revealed
19 Dec 2025
Marcus Chan
SPORTbible

Ahead of 2026, it has been claimed that Newey may have found a loophole in the new regulations. According to News F1 Italy, Newey has ‘found a ‘grey zone’ in the interaction between the flexibility of the floor and the new mobile wing profiles’.

In 2026, F1 cars will have dynamically adjustable front and rear wings. It has been reported that while others are concentrating on the power units, Newey has focused on the mechanical sealing of the car’s floor.

‘F1 'loophole' as 'frightening' Aston Martin results revealed’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/adrian...89799-20251219