Williams continues to work on reacting in the 2026 Formula 1 season and taking advantage of the April break to develop the FW48 after a slower-than-expected start. The Grove team started the year at a disadvantage, after not participating in private tests in Barcelona due to delays in car development. In the first three races, performance was also affected by an overweight car, which further hindered competitiveness.
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Alex Albon acknowledges that there is potential for improvement, but warns that progress will be gradual. “It’s going to be difficult,” he explained on The Fast And The Curious podcast. “But there’s so much baggage in the car that I don’t want to say it will be easy, but there’s a lot of potential for us to move forward. So, it’s not going to happen overnight, and it’s really a matter of going race by race, advancing little by little.”
He also commented on the update package planned for Miami, maintaining moderate expectations: “I think, for example, we have an update package in Miami. It’s going to be better, but it’s not going to be the best thing since sliced bread. Realistically, we are now re-focusing our efforts.”
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According to the driver, the goal is to regain ground in the midfield and evolve throughout the season: “The goal will be to get back into the midfield battle and then reach the top of that battle. So, we’ll see. But, like everything with the new regulation change, the potential for teams to improve is enormous. And when the end of the year comes, we will have a completely different car than we have now. So, we’re going full steam ahead. The factory is working at full throttle.”
Team principal James Vowles also highlighted the importance of the break for development. “We need every hour of this break to hit the ground running when we return to Miami,” he stated in the Vowles Verdict. He also acknowledged: “Of course, we didn’t start the season where we wanted to, so this period serves for us to evaluate what we can really change.”
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