Williams sees the current break in the Formula 1 calendar as an opportunity to react after a difficult start to the 2026 season. Alex Albon stated that the team intends to take advantage of the period without races to prepare a major update aimed at the Miami GP.
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The Grove team had a complicated start to the championship, mainly due to a car with significant excess weight. The problem left Williams in the last positions on the grid, frustrating expectations after the focus on the new 2026 rules.
The team had treated the regulation change as a chance to make a competitive leap, but ended up losing ground to competitors compared to last season. Still, the five-week break in the calendar, caused by the cancellation of two races (Bahrain and Saudi Arabia) in the Middle East due to the war in the region, emerged as an opportunity to try to reverse the scenario.
The Thai-British driver acknowledged that all teams are in the same situation, but believes that Williams can benefit more from this period: “It’s obviously the same for everyone, but for us, we can take advantage a bit more than the others,” he stated.
Albon explained that the main focus will be the planned update for Miami: “We are pushing hard for this update for Miami, to get it ready above all else.” Despite this, the driver also acknowledged that the lack of track time could be an obstacle in the evolution process.
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“But at the same time, you are losing track time, which we need. We need to explore the car a bit more,” said Albon, highlighting that the team is still seeking to better understand the behavior of the current model.
To compensate for the absence of races, Williams intends to intensify internal work in the coming weeks. The driver revealed that the schedule is already set, with a focus on development and intensive use of the simulator: “On our side, in these five weeks, we already have our schedule. Basically we will be at the factory every week, with a strong Driver-in-the-Loop simulation program alongside that,” he added.
Albon also showed optimism about the impact of the planned improvements: “You can expect that in Miami, if everything goes as planned, there will be some weight reduction,” he concluded, indicating that this update could represent Williams’ first step in trying to change course in the season.
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