Carlos Sainz: Williams faces 'suffering' until Baku

Carlos Sainz acknowledged a challenging Dutch Grand Prix, finishing 16th and last among the active drivers. The Spanish driver for Williams anticipates a tough stretch for the team, stating they will "have to suffer" until the Baku race. Sainz highlighted the FW28's persistent performance issues and balance problems, suggesting the car is currently not competitive enough to reach Q2 without significant issues for other teams.

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Until Baku, we will have to suffer. The rest will try to test things and understand as a team all the problems we are having, which are many.

"Until Baku, we will have to suffer. The rest will try to test things and understand as a team all the problems we are having, which are many," Sainz told the organization. He added that the team is "so far" from being competitive that the specific circuit is almost irrelevant.

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I don't think we are a Q2 car, even, others have to fail.

Reflecting on the race, Sainz described significant struggles, particularly with the soft tires in the initial stint due to unfavorable balance. He noted better performance with hard tires. Sainz also apologized for a mid-race incident where he inadvertently collided with teammate Alex Albon. He explained that a large bump on the braking zone caused him to lock up his used tire, leading to the contact. "I'm sorry for the team, these things happen," he stated, emphasizing the need to understand the weekend's difficulties as the car was "very difficult to drive."

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I'm sorry for the team, these things happen, I hope we can understand all the problems we are having or have had this weekend because clearly the car has been very difficult to drive.