Carlos Sainz described Williams’ 2026 Formula 1 season as a ‘perfect storm’ of problems. The team currently occupies ninth place among the constructors, with only eleven points scored after twelve rounds.
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The performance represents a significant drop compared to the same period in 2025, when Williams had forty-eight more points and was four positions higher in the standings. The FW48 faced performance difficulties with Sainz and Alex Albon, while the team also had to deal with problems since the preparation for the start of the championship.
Already in pre-season testing, the car arrived late and did not participate in the shakedown in Barcelona. Later, it was identified that the FW48 was overweight, leading the team to start a program to reduce mass and approach the 768 kg limit. The updates introduced so far worked as expected, but did not produce the performance gain that Williams hoped for.
A major update is scheduled to be implemented in Azerbaijan. Sainz, who recently renewed his contract with the team, explained that his confidence in the project remains despite the results below expectations.
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“I believe in the project, and I have said that from the beginning. This was a huge blow to my expectations, especially after how well we did last year, and it didn’t help that it exceeded my expectations and probably raised my expectations for this year,” said the Spaniard.
Sainz highlighted that the combination of problems created a particularly difficult scenario for Williams: “The reality is that this year ended up being a perfect storm of all possible problems. We came up with a car that is late, overweight, and without aerodynamic downforce, which in Formula 1 is everything you don’t want to achieve in a car,” he added.
Despite the situation, the Spanish driver decided to remain committed to the project: “We made mistakes in the principles, and as a team I want to ensure that this does not happen again. At the same time, I’m not going to leave, the driver is a fundamental part to show commitment to all the workers, all 1,000 people behind the scenes, and I didn’t want to let anyone down and abandon the project,” he concluded.
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