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

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.

Hold on tight as we rattle through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…

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 given access to sensitive Williams data – including the weight of the team’s F1 2024 car – as team boss James Vowles sought to seal the deal.

Williams announced last week that Sainz had agreed a two-year deal with the team, ending months of speculation over the outgoing Ferrari driver’s future.

Vowles has revealed how he managed to convince Sainz to sign on the dotted line, with secret information about the team’s current car offering a glimpse 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

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has insisted that he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s deficit to Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying in F1 2024.

Hamilton has outqualified Russell on just four occasions in the first 14 races of the season, with the seven-time World Champion set to face Charles Leclerc, arguably the fastest driver of a single lap, in F1 2025.

Vasseur, however, is unconcerned by Hamilton’s disappointing qualifying record, pointing to his healthy advantage over Russell in the Drivers’ standings instead.

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

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

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has acknowledged that the team pushed the boundaries “too much” with the design of the RB20.

Having produced the most dominant campaign in history in F1 2023, eyebrows were raised last winter when the RB20 was revealed to be a significant departure from its predecessor.

With just three wins from the last nine races, Wache has admitted Red Bull pushed things “maybe too much in some areas” and have “created some characteristics not designed 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

Back to Sainz and Williams, it has been claimed that the outgoing Ferrari driver made his first visit to the team’s factory in late 2023 – before it was communicated to Sainz that he would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

Vowles confirmed to select media including PlanetF1.com last week that he had first approached Sainz over a potential move to Williams at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

An F1 insider has claimed that negotiations ramped up quickly, with Sainz making a personal visit to Grove before last 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’s the summer break going for you so far?

To help you through these long, long weeks without any F1 action, PlanetF1.com has launched a mid-season quiz to test your knowledge on all things F1 2024 so far.

Coming hot on the heels of our expert data analysis, introduced earlier this season, we’re very excited by this latest addition to our ever-expanding F1 coverage and we hope you are too.

Let us know how your scores in the comments!

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