Sainz urges Williams karting prodigy Will Green to embrace risk in single-seater step

Carlos Sainz has told Williams Racing Academy junior Will Green to prioritise finding the limit over playing it safe as the 13-year-old prepares to make the jump from karting to single-seater racing.

Green, who was signed by the Williams Academy in December 2024, recently claimed the 2026 Karting European Championship junior title — a result that prompted the teenager to sit down with Sainz for a wide-ranging conversation on driver development.

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s better to push too hard and make mistakes than try and be too conservative,” Sainz said. “You are at the age where it’s important to learn as much as possible. So, don’t be scared.”

The Williams driver, 32, went further, arguing that calculated aggression is the fastest route to genuine confidence. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, risk too much and go for overtakes or last-lap moves that maybe are too risky. I would say that age is the time to do it because that’s when you will learn the most.”

“Always try to be as close to the limit as possible. Obviously, don’t do anything stupid — if you can avoid stupid mistakes, avoid stupid mistakes. But go and take risks because when they pay off, you feel a lot of confidence, and that’s where your talent multiplies. You’re not only talented but also confident.”

Sainz also sought to ease any anxiety Green might have about the physical transition to a car, drawing on his own experience of moving up from karts. “I felt that going from karting to cars was quite natural to me. It didn’t feel weird,” he said. “You will jump in a car one day. They will teach you how to drive with the gears, with everything. The first two laps will be strange but then your natural instinct of just pushing flat out whatever they give you will kick in and you will find a way.”

Green becomes one of the younger drivers on the Williams Academy roster and will be expected to progress through the junior single-seater ranks before any consideration of a Formula 1 pathway.