Just hours after the 2024 season finale, Carlos Sainz shifted his focus to the future.

The incoming Williams driver got his first taste of Grove machinery, taking the FW46 for a some laps around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.

Now, for the first time, you can explore photos from his maiden outing in Williams blue.

A new number on the FW46.

And a new name on the door.

It's time for Carlos' first Williams drive.

Ready for action.

Jumping in.

Rolling out.

Ben Howard and Gaetan Jego watch on.

Box Box.

First laps in Williams machinery complete.

Scroll down for more.

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Getting set for some more laps.

Driving into the Abu Dhabi sunset.

Golden hour shots.

Putting in the miles.

Picture perfect.

A final few laps.

The fight starts here.

Day 1, done.

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With motor racing in his blood, Carlos first stepped into a kart at the age of 10 and quickly progressed through the karting ladder. Along the way he earned various accolades, including victory at the prestigious 2009 KF3 Monaco Kart Cup, a championship-winning season in the 2008 CIK-FIA Asia Pacific KF3, and a runner-up finish in the 2009 KF3 Spanish Championship.

Carlos stepped up to single seaters at 16 years old, debuting in Formula BMW Europe where he secured a win and four further podiums. The following season saw Carlos win his first championship, achieving 10 wins and 7 more podiums in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC. He continued his climb through the junior ranks, culminating in a dominant Formula Renault 3.5 season where he clinched the title in his rookie year.

Following this impressive performance, Carlos was called up to Formula 1 with Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2015 season. He began a three-year stint with the team, consistently showcasing blistering one-lap pace and developing strong race craft. Reaching a high of fourth place at the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix, Carlos switched to the Renault Sport F1 Team for the final four races of the season.

In his season at Renault, Carlos again showed his skill in qualifying, starting in the top ten for the first eight races of the season, and scoring points in all but one of these races. He achieved a season-best finish of fifth in Azerbaijan, then moved to McLaren for 2019.

The following two seasons at McLaren were breakthrough years for Carlos. He achieved his first F1 podium finish by taking third at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, then going one better at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix where he finished second. He ended both the 2019 and 2020 seasons sixth in the drivers’ championship standings.

Ahead of the 2021 season, Carlos made the move to Maranello, joining Scuderia Ferrari. He claimed four podiums in Monaco, Hungary, Russia and Abu Dhabi, ending the season ahead of his teammate in the drivers’ standings. 2022 saw him progress further, securing his maiden victory at the British Grand Prix, alongside eight other podiums. Continuing his run of form in the 2023 season, Carlos won the Singapore Grand Prix, with two more podiums at the Italian and US GPs.

In his strongest season yet, in 2024, Carlos won the Australian Grand Prix in impressive circumstances, having just returned to the cockpit from an appendectomy. His second win of the year came in Mexico where he put on a dominant display; qualifying on pole and finishing almost five seconds ahead of the runner-up. Carlos concluded the season fifth in the drivers’ championship, stepping on the podium a further seven times.

In July 2024, Williams Racing announced that Carlos Sainz would be racing alongside Alex Albon for the 2025 season and beyond

Carlos Sainz

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An exclusive look inside Carlos Sainz's first time behind the wheel of Williams Racing machinery

IN PHOTOS: Sainz's first Williams drive

An exclusive look inside Carlos Sainz's first time behind the wheel of Williams Racing machinery

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