Catching up with Williams Racing F1 driver and 2023 Singapore Grand Prix winner, Carlos Sainz

Ahead of the 2025 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, we got a chance to chat with Carlos Sainz from Atlassian Williams Racing to get the lowdown on the Singapore street showdown.

Carlos Sainz comes to the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix off the back of a maiden podium with the Williams team at the previous race in Azerbaijan. 

He is also a former winner of the Singapore Grand Prix, after standing on the top step of the podium in 2023. 

What are some things about the Singapore Grand Prix that fans might not realise that the teams have to prepare differently compared to other races?

Carlos Sainz: First of all, the amount of air conditioning and fans that we have to put into the garages for everyone in the team. It gets really hot in the garages for the mechanics and the drivers, so it’s all about trying to keep people cool. The hotter it gets, the more it drains the human body, so we want to keep people fresh.

With regards to the success the Williams team has seen this season, what’s it like to be part of the team’s journey back to the top?

CS: For me, I’m honoured and privileged to be part of a team like Williams that is one of the most successful teams in Formula One history, and especially to be part of the rebuilding project of this team to be competitive and fight for wins and podiums in the future. We’ve done a very big step this year, as you can see, we are much more competitive already, but next year we are targeting and expecting to take another step forward.

What is fresh, new, and exciting in your first season with Williams, and what has truly set Williams apart?

CS: It is fresh and new. You have to learn all the new faces and names when you go to a new team. A Formula One team has over 1,000 people nowadays, so when you change team, you’re not just changing a small family; you’re changing everything from engineers to mechanics to marketing and communications. Everything is different. The cultural change from Ferrari to Williams, being an Italian and a British team, the communication with your engineer over the radio changes a lot. You’re used to an engineer and the way he talks and then you have to change to another. 

Since the Singapore Grand Prix is a street race, which do you think is harder, driving in traffic or driving an F1 car?

CS: Trust me, the F1 car is so much tougher than anything else you will do in your life, just because of how physical it is and how hot it gets. In traffic, I can be relaxed, just sometimes a bit frustrated if it’s slow, but at least I am not sweating and I am not so tired inside the car.

With all the talk about staying cool, how are you preparing for the heat in this race?

CS: I will go for a bit of cycling now to get the body adapted to the heat and humidity. I sweat for one hour, very low intensity, just to make sure I don’t get myself tired before the weekend. And then mainly it’s just cooling down, you need to cool yourself down before the start of the race, after the race, and during the race. You just need to make sure you make yourself as cooled down as possible. 

Are there any other unique challenges to the Singapore street circuit?

CS: The weather is the biggest challenge. There are other street circuits where we drive in between the walls, and it can be tough, but we do that in Baku, we do it in Monaco. The biggest differentiator between those and Singapore is the heat.

Photos courtesy of Tan Jun Da / Every Second Media

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