Williams has quashed suggestions that Carlos Sainz might not be piloting the team's complete 2025 car package.
After transferring from Ferrari and showing promise in the Abu Dhabi post-season tests and Bahrain's lone winter session, the Spaniard departed Shanghai bewildered, calling it "one of the strangest drops in performance I've had in my career."
A rumour surfaced that only one proper 2025 Williams exists—currently in Alex Albon's hands—leaving Sainz with a lesser spec.
The team, however, asserts that both drivers' cars are identical - albeit built on the 2024 monocoque foundation.
"The monocoque for 2025 is modified from the FW46, but it is the same one," a spokesperson explained to Formula 1 reporter Chris Medland, who contributes to Racer and other outlets.
"The FW47 is an evolution as we've previously explained, aligned with our 2026 goals," the spokesperson continued, as quoted by Medland on X.
The team also noted that three 2025-spec chassis are prepared, opening the possibility that Sainz could switch to the reserve chassis for upcoming grands prix.
