Williams in the News: Sainz’s Surprise, Hollywood Reflections and Training Like a Pro

With the European leg of the season underway and Monaco on the horizon, Atlassian Williams Racing remain front and centre in the conversation.

Between headline-grabbing quotes, an exclusive film premiere, and some serious physical graft behind the scenes, here’s what the media have been saying…

Speaking to Formula1.com ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz reflected on his move to Williams – and just how quickly the team has risen to meet his expectations.

"I moved to a team that I knew had the potential to one day be at the level or even better than Ferrari. If not, I wouldn't have chosen Williams," said Carlos when asked if he’d been surprised by how close the team is pushing his former squad on track.

"I truly believe that Williams had this potential when I moved and I chose this team to do this part of my career but it's come earlier than expected. The team has surprised me in some very good ways."

Hollywood came to Formula 1 this week, as Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were treated to an exclusive first screening of the upcoming F1 film starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.

Both drivers offered their verdicts, with Motorsport.com and The Race capturing the reactions.

“I think they've found a good balance,” said Alex. “It’s hard to not look at everything with a fine comb and just relax and watch it as a movie. I think for Hollywood, they did a good job.”

Carlos echoed the sentiment, adding: “I truly enjoyed it. I think as F1 experts we’re going to see… a bit like sometimes we see with Netflix, that are a bit… you can tell they’re a bit Hollywood-esque.

“I truly believe that for a new fan it will attract a lot of new audience and it will do very well for the people who don’t know anything about F1. For the hardcore fans and journalists and us, we’ll see things that you think are a bit too American or Hollywood, but honestly, I enjoyed the whole film.”

Meanwhile, back in the real paddock, Alex’s performance coach Patrick Harding was the star of the latest episode of The Cooldown Room on F1TV… and he didn’t hold back.

With hosts Tom Deacon and Liam MacDevitt joining Patrick for a Williams-style training session – a glimpse into the physical demands behind the scenes.

For anyone wondering what goes into keeping an F1 driver razor sharp, it’s worth watching the full feature, sweat, laughs, and all.

As the Williams Fan Zone World Tour prepares to roll into Barcelona, The Race took a closer look at how the initiative claimed the award for Best Live Experience, and why it’s become such a hit with fans around the world.

The concept, as explained by Williams' Aidan Lyons, was simple yet inspired.

“I was sitting in the hotel room in Austin and I'm like, ‘wait a minute, this is very eerily similar to a Super Bowl. And in a Super Bowl, everyone stays downtown and goes to a stadium. And in a grand prix, everyone stays downtown and goes to a track.

“So why don't we take something and put it downtown, give it a longer period of time, make sure the access is free, make sure it's immersive, show cars, sim rigs, merchandise, appearances, give them the access the fans want and see what happens.”

If you’re in Barcelona during Spanish Grand Prix week, join us at Passeig de Gràcia to see it for yourself.