Carlos Sainz 'disappointed' with first half of the season

Because of this, the Spaniard was widely expected to lead the team this season – or at the very least match the efforts of teammate Alex Albon.

Williams’ performance, which looked promising even in pre-season, only added excitement for this new partnership.

Of course, things have been more difficult than Sainz would have anticipated.

To some extent, the 30-year-old has ben slightly slower than his teammate – not necessarily a surprise since it’s his first year with the team.

With that said, the difference between Sainz and Albon is far smaller than the 54 points separating them in the standings.

Several factors, often boiling down to race-day incidents and operational errors, have been costly for the #55 car.

Sainz shared some of his frustrations after the chequered flag in Hungary:

“It was a cleaner weekend for us, it’s just a shame it’s not on a weekend where the car is strong…

“I’m leaving the first half of the season slightly disappointed, as we didn’t maximise the weekends where we were stronger.

“But hopefully, the second half of the season is the other way around…

“We’ll reset, recharge and come back stronger for the rest of the season.”

A tough battle until the end of the year

For the first time in almost a decade, Williams often find themselves at the front of the midfield.

This is good news for Sainz and Albon, who can aim for the top 10 almost every weekend. Only at very specific bogey tracks, such as Barcelona or Hungary, does the British team struggle.

Putting aside these outliers, Albon is a regular name among the points-finishers. For Sainz, who sits a lowly 16th in the standings, this has not been the case.

With Albon securing big results in races such as Australia, Imola and Spa, he is responsible for most of Williams’ points this year.

Whilst team principal James Vowles will be pleased with the Thai driver’s efforts, he will be aiming for a cleaner second half of the season on the opposite side of the garage.

Aston Martin, Sauber and VCARB are all within striking distance of Williams in the standings. In recent Grand Prix, they have all matched or even superseded the British squad.

This puts Williams at risk, which James Vowles identified in his comments after the Hungarian GP:

“It’s great to be in 5th in the Championship,” the former Mercedes engineer outlined.

“However, we have to recognise it will be a close fought battle to the end of the year.

“And we have to maximise every opportunity that comes towards us.”