塞恩斯如何从F1生涯最艰难时刻走出低谷
塞恩斯在2026年阿塞拜疆大奖赛前夕接受Motorsport.com采访，回顾一年前在巴库代表威廉姆斯首次登上领奖台的美好回忆，同时坦陈近几个月FW48赛车未能让他取得期望的成绩。
塞恩斯如何从F1生涯最艰难的时刻重回正轨
威廉姆斯车手在阿塞拜疆大奖赛周末开始时接受了Motorsport.com的采访
对塞恩斯来说，巴库永远不会只是一个普通的比赛地。上周在2026年阿塞拜疆大奖赛前夕接受我们采访时，这位西班牙车手刚刚抵达这座城市，思绪不可避免地回到了12个月前——当时他在威廉姆斯首次登上领奖台。
这仍然是他认为自己职业生涯最佳时刻之一，但2026年的塞恩斯是在经历了几个月的困难之后来到巴库的，在此期间FW48赛车未能让他取得期望的成绩。
然而，从个人的角度来看，他的感受几乎完全相反：32岁的他觉得自己正处于职业生涯的巅峰附近，驾驶水平非常高。正是这种反差——他在方向盘后的自我感觉与成绩上的匮乏之间的矛盾——让这段时期格外令人沮丧。
MS：卡洛斯，你好吗？
卡洛斯·塞恩斯：“我很好。我昨天抵达这里准备比赛周末。这个地方让我回忆起去年的许多美好时光，那是我与威廉姆斯车队的第一个领奖台。那可能是我职业生涯中最美好的时刻之一，所以巴库现在对我而言是一个重要的地方。”
现在这个时刻，在你的生活和职业生涯中是怎样的一个时刻？
“这是一个特殊的时刻，因为就我个人的表现而言，我觉得自己度过了不错的一年。我今年32岁，我认为自己正处于职业生涯的巅峰附近。我感觉自己今年开得相当不错，但与此同时，这个赛季一直非常令人沮丧，赛车出现了很多问题，使我们无法取得好成绩。
“在某种程度上，我觉得这正在变成我职业生涯中有点荒废的一年，因为我们没能达到我们为自己设定的目标。我希望这只是一个奇怪的年份，希望下个赛季我们能发现自己处于更好的位置。”
你于2025年加入威廉姆斯，但在那之前你曾效力于小红牛、雷诺、迈凯伦和法拉利。你认为你为这支车队带来了什么？自从你来到这里之后，威廉姆斯发生了多大的变化？
“首先，我带来了我的经验以及作为一名车手速度。在一级方程式度过12年之后，我想差不多每个人都知道我的优势是什么。但最重要的是，我认为我带来了经验和一种特定的工作方式，努力帮助这支车队进步。
“我有机会体验过像法拉利这样的顶级车队，所以我可以给威廉姆斯一个参照，让他们知道一支顶级车队如今是什么水平，以及要达到那个水平还需要什么。
“好的一面是，我们还有詹姆斯·沃尔斯，他来自梅赛德斯，还有亚历克斯（阿尔本），他经历过红牛的环境。车队内部有三四个重要人物，他们都知道一支顶级车队是如何运作的。我们正在努力让威廉姆斯在未来回到那个水平。”
你已经决定把自己的未来托付给威廉姆斯。除了技术层面的原因之外，你在这支车队的成员身上看到了什么，让你愿意继续相信这个项目？
“主要有两个原因。第一是我信任这个项目、这些人以及车队的中长期愿景。诚然，今年非常令人失望，是一个谁都没有预料到的赛季。它也让我们看到我们还有多少需要改进的地方，而且我们距离目标可能比我们想象的还要远。
“去年情况几乎相反：我们取得了比预期还要好的成绩。而今年则困难得多。第二个原因是，从我到达的第一刻起就感到宾至如归。在威廉姆斯，我感觉到人们真正在倾听我，对于一名车手来说这是最根本的。我希望当我说的时候，人们会听，而且某些事情能够朝我建议的方向推进。
“到目前为止，这里正是这样。我职业生涯中最好的几个年头是在迈凯伦度过的，在法拉利的一些岁月也是如此。比如在迈凯伦，我当时的感受与现在在威廉姆斯的感受非常相似。我认为，当车手身处那样的环境时，才能发挥出最佳水平。”
你常常把自己形容为一个非常理性的人。但是否也有一个卡洛斯·塞恩斯，很难把赛道上的糟糕一天抛在脑后？
“当然有。当某一天事情不顺利时，我是那个上床睡觉时还会为所犯的错误而痛苦的人。但经验给了我很重要的一点：明白世界并不会就此终结。我们都有过好的周末和坏的周末。生活继续向前，一名车手的价值不会因为一场糟糕的比赛就突然下降。
“随着经验的积累，你学会如何在心理上应对这些情况。你知道那只是一场比赛，也许下一站在巴库你就登上领奖台，所有人都会忘记之前发生的事，突然之间你又被看作一个不同的车手。在这方面，经验的作用非常大。”
你职业生涯中最艰难的时刻是什么？
“毫无疑问是在得知我将离开法拉利之后的那几个月。说实话，我以为自己会在那里待很长时间。我们一起度过了美好的四年，我认为夏尔（勒克莱尔）和我合作得很好，车队也在朝着正确的方向前进。
“我从未想过会离开法拉利，但那种情况还是发生了，我需要两三个月的时间重新找回自己，弄清楚我想如何继续自己的职业生涯，以及我的下一个目标是什么。
“那几个月很艰难，但我想正是因为那段艰难，我后来才找到了职业生涯的最佳状态。我在澳大利亚赢了，登上了领奖台，我觉得我的2024赛季非常强劲。”
那么最好的时刻是什么呢？
“我在迈凯伦的岁月里有很多美好的回忆。我非常享受为那支车队效力，并在那里第一次登上领奖台。
“然后还有在法拉利的那些胜利。很难形容车手赢得职业生涯头几场比赛时的感受。而且我认为那四场胜利到来的方式，让每一场都变得特别。
“然后就是和威廉姆斯车队一起登上领奖台的经历。我当初选择这支车队是一次冒险，也许有些人觉得我疯了。后来我们在赛季末段拿下了三次领奖台，一切似乎都在朝着完美的方向发展。
“这正是为什么今年的情况让人难以理解。这是一个非常复杂的赛季。
你在赛车运动中背负着一个非常重要的姓氏。有没有那么一段时间，身为塞恩斯家族的一员更像是一种负担而不是一种荣耀？
“是的，尤其是在我参加卡丁车赛的最初几年。那时候，我感觉这个姓氏带给我的压力要大于它能带来的好处。小时候，我深切地感受到这种压力。我能看到，也能感觉到，因为我父亲的缘故，别人对待我的方式不一样。
“有过一些非常艰难的情况，我现在不想谈论，但在11岁到14岁之间，我还在跑卡丁车的时候，经历过一些糟糕的时刻。也许有一天我会在一本自传里谈到它们。我确实感受到了压力，我也看到有些人对一个十二三岁的男孩表现得很恶劣。我不喜欢那样。”
如果今天你能见到15岁或16岁的塞恩斯，你会告诉他这一切都是值得的吗？在“普通”青少年的生活中，有没有什么经历是你觉得自己错过的？
“我肯定会告诉他，这一切都是值得的。我从来没有真正有过一刻去质疑自己所做的一切是否值得这些牺牲，因为我一直都很享受。
“驾驶、去参赛、去竞争——这始终是我的梦想。即使我错过了16岁的孩子可能会拥有的某些普通经历，我也从不把它看作一种牺牲。我只是觉得，我正在做自己想做的事。
“当然，也有过紧张和压力的时刻，也有过我不知道自己能否进入F1、能否真正成为一名F1车手的时刻。
“对于那个曾经怀疑自己能否有朝一日达到这个高度、甚至能否在F1中赢得分站赛的男孩，我会告诉他不要担心。他会成功的。而且他的职业生涯可能会比他想象的还要好。”
英文原文
How Carlos Sainz bounced back from the most difficult moment of his F1 career
The Williams driver spoke to Motorsport.com at the start of the Azerbaijan GP weekend
Baku can never be just another place for Carlos Sainz. When we spoke to him on the eve of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week, the Spaniard had only just arrived in the city and his thoughts inevitably went back to 12 months ago, having claimed his first podium with Williams.
It remains one of the moments he still considers among the best of his career, but in 2026 Sainz arrived in Baku after a difficult few months, during which the FW48 has not allowed him to achieve the results he had hoped for.
And yet, from a personal point of view, his perception is almost the opposite: at 32, he feels he is close to the peak of his career and driving at a very high level. It is precisely this contrast, between how he feels behind the wheel and the lack of results, that has made this period particularly frustrating.
MS: Carlos, how are you?
Carlos Sainz: “I’m good. I arrived yesterday for the race weekend. It’s a place that brings back a lot of great memories from last year, from my first podium with Williams. It was probably one of the best moments of my career, so Baku is now an important place for me.”
What kind of moment is this in your life and in your career?
“It’s a particular moment because, in terms of my own performance, I feel like I’m having a good year. I’m 32 and I think I’m close to the peak of my career. I feel like I’m driving quite well this year, but at the same time it has been a very frustrating season, with a lot of problems with the car that have prevented us from achieving good results.
“In a way, I feel like it is becoming a bit of a lost year in my career because we are not managing to reach the targets we had set ourselves. I hope it can simply be a strange year and that next season we can find ourselves in a better position.”
You joined Williams in 2025, but before that you raced for Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari. What do you think you have brought to this team, and how much has Williams changed since you arrived?
“First of all, I brought my experience and my speed as a driver. After 12 years in Formula 1, I think more or less everyone knows what my strengths are. But above all, I think I have brought experience and a certain way of working, trying to help this team improve.
“I have had the chance to experience top teams such as Ferrari, so I can give Williams a reference for where a top team is today and what is needed to reach that level.
“The positive thing is that we also have James Vowles, who comes from Mercedes, and Alex [Albon], who has experienced the Red Bull environment. There are three or four important figures within the team who know how a top team works. We are trying to bring Williams back to that level in the future.”
You have decided to commit your future to Williams. Beyond the technical reasons, what have you seen in the people within this team that convinced you to keep believing in the project?
“There are two main reasons. The first is that I trust the project, the people and the medium- to long-term vision within the team. It is true that this year has been very disappointing, a season nobody expected. It has also shown us how much we still need to improve and that we are probably further away than we thought.
“Last year it was almost the opposite: we achieved results that were even better than expected. This year, instead, has been much more difficult. The second reason is that I have felt at home from the very first moment I arrived. At Williams, I have felt that people really listen to me, and for me as a driver that is fundamental. I want to feel that when I speak, people listen and that certain things can move in the direction I suggest.
“So far, that is exactly what has happened here. Some of the best years of my career were at McLaren, and also some of my years at Ferrari. At McLaren, for example, I felt in a very similar way to how I feel now at Williams. And I think a driver is able to perform at his best when he finds himself in that kind of environment.”
You have often described yourself as a very rational person. But is there also a Carlos Sainz who struggles to leave a bad day at the track behind him?
“Definitely. I’m the first one who, when I go to bed after a day in which things have not gone well, suffers thinking about the mistakes that were made. But experience has given me something very important: the understanding that the world does not end there. We have all had good weekends and bad weekends. Life goes on, and a driver’s value does not suddenly decrease because of one bad race.
“With experience, you learn how to manage those situations mentally. You know it is only one race, and maybe at the next one you finish on the podium in Baku, everyone forgets what happened before and suddenly you are seen as a different driver. Experience helps massively in that respect.”
What has been the most difficult moment of your career?
“Definitely the months after finding out that I would be leaving Ferrari. Honestly, I thought I was going to stay there for a long time. We had come through four good years in which I think Charles [Leclerc] and I had done a good job together, and the team was moving in the right direction.
“I never expected to leave Ferrari, but that situation happened and I needed two or three months to find myself again, understand how I wanted to continue my career and what my next objective would be.
“They were difficult months, but I think it was precisely because of that difficulty that I probably found the best form of my career afterwards. I won in Australia, achieved podiums and I think I had a very strong 2024 season.”
And what has been the best moment?
“I have so many great memories from my years at McLaren. I really enjoyed driving for that team and achieving my first podiums there.
"Then there were the wins with Ferrari. It is impossible to describe what a driver feels when he wins the first races of his career. And I think the way those four victories came makes every one of them special.
“Then there was the podium with Williams. I had taken my gamble by choosing this team and maybe some people thought I was crazy. Then we achieved three podiums towards the end of the season and everything seemed to be moving in the perfect direction.
“That is exactly why this year has been difficult to understand. It has been a really complicated season.”
You carry a very important surname in motorsport. Was there ever a time when being a Sainz felt more like a burden than a privilege?
“Yes, definitely during my first years in karting. At that time, I felt that the weight of my surname was greater than the advantages it could bring me. When I was young, I felt that pressure a lot. I could see it and I could feel that I was not being treated in the same way because of who my father was.
“There were some very difficult situations that I don’t want to talk about now, but between the ages of 11 and 14, while I was karting, I went through some bad moments. Maybe one day I will talk about them in a biography. I definitely felt the pressure, and I saw some people behave badly towards a 12- or 13-year-old boy. I did not like that.”
If you could meet the 15- or 16-year-old Carlos today, would you tell him it was all worth it? Is there anything from the life of a ‘normal’ teenager that you feel you missed out on?
“I would definitely tell him that it was worth it. I never really had a moment in which I questioned whether everything I was doing was worth the sacrifice, because I always enjoyed it.
“Driving, going to races, competing — it was always my dream. Even when I missed out on some of the normal experiences a 16-year-old might have, I never saw it as a sacrifice. I simply thought I was doing what I wanted to do.
“Of course, there were moments of tension and pressure, moments when I didn’t know whether I would make it to Formula 1 or whether I would really become a Formula 1 driver.
“To that boy who had doubts about whether he would one day make it here, or even win races in Formula 1, I would tell him not to worry. He will make it. And he will probably have an even better career than he ever imagined.”
Motorsport.com ·
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