It is no overstatement that Williams’s begin to 2026 has been a catastrophe. From a pattern measurement of three qualifying periods in Melbourne and Shanghai, its highest qualifying place is Alex Albon’s fifteenth place on the grid in Australia, when team-mate Carlos Sainz did not make qualifying after hitting hassle in third free follow.
In China, Sainz and Albon had been dumped out in Q1 in seventeenth and 18th – two and 6 tenths off Q2 respectively – with Sainz qualifying in the identical place within the dash whereas Albon was final with one other automotive downside.
Alexander Albon, Williams
Picture by: Steven Tee / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
It is easy to level to Williams’s automotive being considerably chubby, which the crew admitted in Australia. However the measurement of its deficit is clearly right down to extra elements than that, so the crew that spent most of 2025 specializing in this yr must return to the drafting board to deliver important aerodynamic upgrades.
“We can not disguise behind the load as a result of on the finish of the day there are different vehicles that aren’t on weight within the midfield,” a annoyed Albon mentioned. “Positively not as a lot as we’re, however they’re nonetheless chubby and the deficit we’ve got to those groups is not only that.”
Alexander Albon, Williams, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Picture by: Dom Gibbons / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
Past the load and a scarcity of downforce, Williams has been all at sea in China with important automotive stability points and has all however exhausted all of the choices to treatment them.
“We’re getting in areas that we have by no means been earlier than,” Albon mentioned. “Nothing appears to repair the automotive. I am certain the Cadillac is faster than us in fairly just a few corners, so I am simply making an attempt to determine what is going on on. The most important difficulty on the minute is the automotive’s three wheeling, so we simply want to repair that.
“There are a whole lot of stability points within the automotive, we’re seeing some [lack of] downforce as nicely, so it is an accumulation of issues.”
One other painful race forward?
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Picture by: Dom Gibbons / Formulation 1 through Getty Photos
Albon mentioned he would probably begin from the pitlane on Sunday, so the crew can take his FW47 out of parc ferme and make additional set-up adjustments in a single day to offer him with a driveable stability.
“We will have a dialogue tonight about what else we will do to attempt to repair it. We’ll have a head scratch and if we predict there is a principle, I believe you will see me ranging from the pitlane once more.”
Williams carried out past all expectations final yr to climb from ninth to fifth within the constructors’ standings. Going the other way now, regardless of the overt 2026 focus and the advantage of class main Mercedes energy items, has been a shock to the Grove crew’s system.
“It is truthful to say we’re all annoyed, however the crew is all aligned on this,” Albon insisted. “It has been a painful begin to the season, however I nonetheless think about this crew. It is simply that you simply’re coming from such a excessive final yr to form of again to the place you had been earlier than.
“However we have been right here earlier than, we all know what it takes to get again and we’re extra ready as nicely. We simply have to attend, sadly it is no straightforward course of. We have simply obtained to attempt to out-develop our midfield rivals and attempt to end the season in an excellent place. However for now, we’re clearly an excellent chunk behind.”
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