Formula 1 saw Williams experience another complicated chapter in the 2026 season during qualifying for the Chinese GP. Alex Albon admitted that the team is facing serious problems with the car and revealed that, at this moment, not even setup changes are managing to correct the behavior of the FW48.
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The scenario in Shanghai was especially tough for the British team. Both Albon and Carlos Sainz were eliminated in Q1, a result that left both cars starting at the back of the grid and reinforced the impression that Williams has lost the momentum that had ended 2025 with the team in fifth in the championship.
After the early elimination, Albon explained that the car’s main problem appears in some corners, when the single-seater loses proper contact with the track. According to the driver, the behavior has been so unusual that the team is already exploring paths it had never tried before.
“There are strange things happening in the car,” said the Thai driver. He said that the team has already made setup changes and also altered procedures throughout the weekend, without finding a clear solution to the problem.
Albon also indicated that Williams should continue insisting on radical changes to better understand the car. “At the moment, nothing we do seems to fix the car. I imagined that this track would normally expose some of our limitations, but this is beyond what I expected,” he said.
In the driver’s view, the team is being forced to experiment with unusual directions in search of answers. “We are going into areas where we have never been before. And, honestly, I would keep moving forward and taking more steps in that direction,” he commented.
The competitor also made a harsh assessment when comparing Williams with midfield rivals. For Albon, in certain sections of the track the situation is so bad that even Cadillac seems faster in some corners.
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“I’m sure Cadillac is faster than us in several corners. I’m just trying to understand what’s happening,” he stated. According to him, the biggest problem at the moment is the car running on only three wheels at certain times, something that strongly affects stability.
“The biggest problem now is this effect of the car running on three wheels,” he summarized. This characteristic helps explain why Williams cannot maintain performance consistency in the corners of the Chinese circuit.
Although the car’s excess weight is already known as a major disadvantage for the team in 2026, Albon made it clear that this cannot be the only justification for the lack of competitiveness. For him, the loss of performance goes far beyond the scales.
“We can’t hide behind the weight,” he stated. The driver acknowledged that Williams is over the ideal weight, but recalled that other midfield cars also face a similar situation.
According to Albon, the difference to the rivals is not explained by that alone. “The deficit we have to these teams is not just because of the weight. There are many balance problems in the car,” he said.
The Thai driver summarized the moment as an accumulation of negative factors. In addition to the need to reduce weight, he highlighted that the team also needs to improve the car’s balance and correct issues related to aerodynamic load to become competitive again.
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