Crucial Carlos Sainz data uncovered as Lewis Hamilton, George Russell record compared

Carlos Sainz is approaching his last few months as a driver for Ferrari.

Monday’s F1 news features the data secrets that persuaded Carlos Sainz to join Williams and Ferrari’s view on Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying woes against George Russell in F1 2024.

Fasten your seatbelts as we swiftly navigate through the day’s primary headlines…

F1 news: Carlos Sainz to Williams data, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell compared

Carlos Sainz given Williams data access as Williams sealed the deal

Carlos Sainz was granted access to confidential Williams data – including the weight of the team’s F1 2024 car – as team leader James Vowles aimed to finalize the agreement.

Last week, Williams confirmed that Sainz has signed a two-year contract with the team, putting an end to months of speculation about the future of the departing Ferrari driver.

Vowles has disclosed his strategy for persuading Sainz to sign the contract. It involved revealing confidential information about the team’s current car, thus showing a hint of Williams’ potential.

Read more: Williams release secret F1 2024 car data that convinced Carlos Sainz to sign

Ferrari unconcerned by Lewis Hamilton’s F1 2024 qualifying woes

Fred Vasseur, the team principal of Ferrari, has asserted that he is not worried about the qualifying deficit of Lewis Hamilton to his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, in F1 2024.

In the first 14 races of the season, Hamilton has only managed to outqualify Russell four times. The seven-time World Champion is expected to compete against Charles Leclerc in F1 2025, who is arguably the quickest driver for a single lap.

However, Vasseur is not bothered by Hamilton’s disappointing qualifying record, instead focusing on his significant lead over Russell in the Drivers’ standings.

Read more: Ferrari question Lewis Hamilton’s George Russell comparison as Mercedes exit looms

Exclusive: Red Bull pushed boundaries ‘too much’ with RB20

Red Bull’s technical director, Pierre Wache, has admitted in an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com that the team may have pushed the design limits “too much” for the RB20.

Eyebrows were raised last winter when the RB20 was revealed to be a significant departure from its predecessor, especially after it had produced the most dominant campaign in history in F1 2023.

Wache confessed that Red Bull may have overdone things in some aspects after securing only three victories in the past nine races. He added that this has resulted in the creation of some features that were not intended for the driver.

Read more: Red Bull’s ‘too much’ RB20 admission as 2024 concept change decision explained

Carlos Sainz visited Williams factory in late 2023 – report

It has been reported that Sainz, the departing Ferrari driver, made his initial visit to the Williams team’s factory in late 2023. This was before Sainz was informed that he would be succeeded by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

Last week, Vowles confirmed to select media outlets, including PlanetF1.com, that he first approached Sainz about a possible move to Williams during last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A source within F1 has alleged that talks escalated rapidly, with Sainz personally visiting Grove prior to the previous Christmas.

Read more: Eye-catching Carlos Sainz and Williams negotiation period claimed as deal finally struck

PlanetF1.com launches mid-season F1 2024 quiz

How has your summer break been so far?

PlanetF1.com has introduced a mid-season quiz to keep you engaged during these lengthy weeks without any F1 action. It’s designed to test your knowledge on all matters concerning F1 2024 thus far.

Following our expert data analysis introduced earlier this season, we are thrilled to present the newest addition to our continually growing F1 coverage. We hope it excites you as much as it does us.

Let us know your scores in the comments!

Read more: Big, fat F1 2024 quiz: 30 brain-tickling questions on the season so far