Williams driver Carlos Sainz has been busy over the April break working hard in his team's simulator trying to push forward the development of the FW48.

After finishing fifth in the 2025 Formula 1 Constructors' Championship with Sainz delivering two podiums, Williams suffered from a huge setback in 2026.

Their FW48 was not ready for the private Barcelona shakedown, and when it finally arrived for the first preseason test in Bahrain, it was massively overweight, a problem Williams are still grappling with after three races in the season.

With April becoming an unexpected F1 break due to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the war in the Middle East, Williams have been busy making use of the time off to try and improve their car.

Speaking to the Williams Team Torque podcast, Sainz revealed what he has been up to; he said: "After Japan, I went straight back into the simulator to work.

"We have a lot of work to do. So went straight back in. Actually, pretty pleased with the simulator correlation. I think the simulator is progressing nicely.

"That's an important area of team development and investment over the last few years, and it's starting to hopefully pay off," he added.

Williams' team boss James Vowles offered further insight on his team's activities in the break and wrote on LinkedIn: "Over the last few weeks, we’ve come together as a team to go through the data, accelerate research and simulation, and refine our approach for the rest of the season.

"Our drivers are back in the simulator, and the crew are working on pit stop practice. On the development side, we’re pushing hard on all elements, most importantly the weight of the car. Every hour of this period has a purpose.

"Miami is the opportunity to show our next step forward. We know we’re not going to be the finished article, but we’re looking forward to making progress, and getting back to the track," he maintained.