Formula 1 saw Williams finally open its scoring in the 2026 season at the Chinese GP, with Carlos Sainz crossing the finish line in ninth position in Shanghai. The result secured the team’s first two points in the championship, on a Sunday that also saw the frustration of Alex Albon’s retirement even before the start.
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The Spaniard started from only 17th position, but found a more favorable scenario before the race began. With the absence of the two McLaren cars, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Albon himself, Sainz had fewer competitors ahead and started the race with 13 cars officially positioned in front of him.
Albon’s situation was determined during the laps to the starting grid. Williams identified a hydraulic problem in the Thai driver’s car, and despite the team’s repair attempt, it was not possible to resolve the failure in time. As a result, the competitor was out of the main race in Shanghai.
On track, Sainz started well and was already in 10th place by the end of the first lap. After that, however, the driver began to suffer from graining on the Medium tires, a situation that helped Max Verstappen, Oliver Bearman, and Nico Hülkenberg overtake the FW48 in the opening laps.
To react, Williams called the Spaniard to the pits early. The stop came on lap 10, with the change from Medium to Hard tires. However, an incident with Lance Stroll on the following lap caused a neutralization, allowing rivals to make their stops at a lower time cost.
When the race resumed on lap 13, Sainz was in 14th and needed to rebuild his race. Isack Hadjar was one of the Spaniard’s immediate opponents, but after that, the priority became managing the Hard tires until the end and taking advantage of opportunities that arose ahead.
The Spaniard moved forward with Esteban Ocon’s pit stop and then gained another position when Arvid Lindblad spun. The definitive entry into the top 10 happened when Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto, who had not yet completed their mandatory stop, finally went to the pits.
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In the final laps, the battle was concentrated on Colapinto. The Argentine got very close after his stop and began to threaten the Spaniard in the fight for the last position within the points zone. The scenario changed on lap 45, when Verstappen was called by Red Bull to retire from the race, turning the fight between the two into a battle for P9 and P10.
Sainz resisted the pressure and took the checkered flag just 0.7s ahead of Colapinto, securing Williams’ first top 10 of 2026. After the race, James Vowles praised the driver’s performance and described his performance as flawless from start to finish.
“It was an incredible drive from Carlos to bring the car to the end and secure our first points of the season. He didn’t make any mistakes from start to finish and deserved those points today,” said the team principal.
Sainz also highlighted the importance of maximizing everything within the team’s reach. “We know that, at this point in the season, we are not in a position to score points on pure pace alone, but today we got everything else right, and that made the difference,” he said. The Spaniard also showed hope that the result would serve as extra motivation for the team to evolve in the coming weeks.
Albon, meanwhile, regretted not even being able to participate in the race, but stressed that the team needs to better understand its reliability issues before the next round in Japan. Even so, the Thai driver highlighted the positive side of Sunday seeing Williams finally leave China with points in the championship.
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