Carlos Sainz issues Williams urgent request after damning 'realisation'

Carlos Sainz has issued Williams with an urgent call to return to the drawing board and bring upgrades as quickly as possible following a damning "realisation" regarding its performance in medium- and high-speed corners.

Williams struggled throughout the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, with Sainz failing to score a point despite eight drivers encountering problems during the race.

The Spaniard had to settle for 12th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a venue widely regarded as a true litmus test of overall car performance.

At no stage did the Grove-based outfit look capable of challenging for points, with its continued weight disadvantage proving a significant setback.

In addition, according to Sainz, the FW48's general lack of downforce remains an area in need of improvement, with Williams requiring a considerable step forward in performance.

In the 31-year-old's view, Barcelona highlighted just how far behind Williams remains on medium-speed circuits, something the team must address.

"I think, realistically speaking, we expected it to be hard," Sainz told select media, including RacingNews365. 

"Looking back on it, I think it's been a bit more of a shock how far off we are in medium and high-speed corners, partly due to weight, but even more importantly, due to the downforce we have on the car.

"So I think it's been massive. I wouldn't call it a shock, not even a wake-up call, because we knew it, but it has been a realisation that we are very far from where we should be, where we targeted to be, or where we want to be.

"So I think it's time to go back to the drawing board and start bringing more things to the car, because clearly, at a medium-speed track, we're very far behind."