“He's a bit whacky”: Carlos Sainz will be a “big asset” for Williams Racing according to Oscar Piastri’s race engineer

McLaren F1 team's race engineer, Tom Stallard recently touched upon his time with Carlos Sainz and claimed that the Spanish driver could be an "asset" to the Williams team. Sainz is all set to leave Scuderia Ferrari at the end of this season to join Williams, and Stallard believes that he would be a "big asset" to the British team.

Stallard currently works with Oscar Piastri on the Woking-based team. He was the race engineer of Sainz when he arrived at McLaren from Renault and raced for the Papayas for two years in 2019 and 2020. During this time, the duo built an amicable relationship, something Stallard cherishes even in 2024.

"Carlos is, probably of all the drivers I've worked with, the one I've stayed closest friends with, when I stopped working directly with them," Stallard said in the latest Beyond The Grid episode. "He's a really easy going, nice guy to deal with. He's kind of demanding when he needs to be demanding. He's funny. He's a bit whacky."

Carlos Sainz left McLaren at the end of 2020 and joined Ferrari to race alongside Charles Leclerc in 2021. After four years in the Maranello team, he decided to jump ship and join Alex Albon in Williams in 2025.

Speaking about what Sainz's addition will mean for Williams, Stallard added,

"He's definitely going to be a big asset to the Williams team, he'll help them a lot. Williams are getting someone who will really want to engage with their technical department, who will want to join engineering meetings and push them in the right direction – he absolutely loves all that."

Sainz picked up a victory this season after he returned from appendicitis surgery and won the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Besides the win, he raked in five podiums this season and amassed 190 points after 18 races and three Sprints. He stands in P5 of the drivers' championship.

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Carlos Sainz can transform Williams, believes team boss

James Vowles, the team principal of the Williams F1 team stated that Carlos Sainz is capable of transforming any team. Vowles, in his recent interview with Auto Motor Und Sport, emphasized how the Spanish driver's addition to his team could be phenomenal. He said:

"Carlos can make a difference with any car," Vowles said. "That's why we brought him in. He is an asset to any team. He will take us forward because he has put his heart and soul into the team. Because he will help improve the starts, the setup, the work with the tires, the simulator.”

With Albon and Sainz in their wings, and Vowles in charge, one can expect Williams to return to their glory days if Mercedes manages to excel with their engine department in 2026.

As of the 2024 Singapore GP, Sainz has 200 race starts to his name where he picked up three victories, 23 podiums, five pole positions, and 1172.5 career points.