Williams: Carlos Sainz copies Ferrari steering wheel with two fingers. Carlos Sainz wanted to replicate the steering wheel he had developed at Ferrari.

James Vowles, Williams team principal, continues to praise Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard was the driver chosen to debut the FW47 on Friday morning at Silverstone, providing initial feedback on Grove’s new car. This followed his first experience with the FW46 during post-season testing in Abu Dhabi after the 2024 finale, where he had already given insights on potential development areas.

James Vowles appreciated Carlos Sainz’s mechanical sensitivity, noting his precision in providing feedback on the car and shaping development work, bringing to Grove a methodology more aligned with a top team like Ferrari.

“His influence has been felt in several areas. First of all, he works very well with Alex [Albon], especially when we focus on control systems, such as differential maps, braking, starts, and all the surrounding elements of this crucial phase. Now we have an experienced race winner, and this will help the team grow. I can see a shift in our performance—where we were before and where we are today.”

These are not just words from James Vowles; a concrete example is the steering wheel. Over the years, Carlos has developed great attention to detail to maximize the functionality of controls.

An image captured before Carlos Sainz hit the track during the Silverstone filming day shows that the Madrid-born driver requested Williams to replicate the clutch paddles exactly as he used on the SF-24 last year.

Unlike his former teammate Charles Leclerc, who prefers a single long paddle for clutch release, Carlos Sainz insisted on using two paddles with a dual thimble system, allowing him to insert his fingers for a more precise clutch release when the lights go out at the start of a Grand Prix.