Carlos Sainz is set to make his Williams F1 debut a day earlier than expected after leaving Ferrari.
Sainz has agreed to drive alongside Alex Albon from 2025 after losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton, with the Spanish driver having been authorized by Scuderia boss Frédéric Vasseur to test the FW46 during the traditional post-season test, which takes place on the Tuesday following the season finale.
However, Sainz will now make his debut for the Grove team 24 hours earlier, on Monday December 9.
Williams has in fact reserved the Yas Marina circuit for the last of its two allocated days of filming, which allows 200 km of driving, or around 35 laps of the track in F1 configuration.
This will allow Sainz to integrate and learn about his F1 and make the most of the official test the next day.
Sainz will be joined during these tests by Luke Browning in the other car, dedicated to the young driver. Browning will also drive in FP1 in place of Alex Albon on Friday.
