Carlos Sainz's cheeky message after driving Williams' 2025 F1 car at Silverstone shakedown

The Spaniard, who joined the British outfit after leaving Ferrari at the end of last season, is widely regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the grid - not only for his racecraft but his technical knowledge.

In his first test for Williams after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there were photos of the mechanics even dismantling the sidepods based on the technical feedback Sainz had given them.

The ‘shakedown’ took place at Silverstone ahead of the F1 75 event next week, where all the teams’ cars will be unveiled in a live event at the O2 in London.

Sainz’s shakedown test was only two laps around a shortened version of the historic racetrack, while he went through various modes and settings with his engineers. Bizarrely for a shakedown, the media had also been invited to attend.

Reporting for Sky Sports, 2009 F1 world champion and Williams driver Jenson Button was waiting in the garage for Sainz, and interviewed him as soon as he stepped out the car. During their exchange, Sainz took a cheeky dig at the former champion.

Sainz said: “[I had] wet tyres on a dry track, but I can tell you everything went fine, which is good news. An installation lap of a newly-born car is always a bit tricky, but everything worked as it should and now we’re ready to get into the run plan.”

The “run plan” Sainz is referring to is their programme for testing, which all teams will attend at Bahrain from February 26-28. Some teams will be testing new aerodynamic parts, others doing race simulations and some may even just be trying to get their cars to work properly.

Button asked: “So what happens now, do they look over the car and what have you, and then the next run you can go and push it harder? Will you be on slick tyres?”

With a wry smile, Sainz said: “So now, first I need to give the feedback - you’re not letting me give the feedback of the two or three things that I felt could be improved - the feeling inside the cockpit and everything that I want to talk to them about.

“Once we finish this interview I’ll give the feedback, we’ll get the car ready to run on slicks and start pushing it, little by little.”

The pair laughed and embraced before Sainz headed off to speak with his engineers. The first F1 race is taking place at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, March 16.