Alex Albon acknowledges Williams struggles after Shanghai Sprint Qualifying: “Time to rethink the car”. Alexander Albon admits Williams struggled in the Shanghai Sprint Qualifying.

It has been another challenging weekend for Williams, with both cars suffering a double elimination in SQ1 during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

At the conclusion of the session, Alexander Albon did not shy away from the team’s current struggles: It’s difficult, we are slow, so we’ll go back to the drawing board. I tried a few things, but it didn’t work, so we’ll find another solution.

The Thai driver went on to emphasize that while the car’s issues have been identified, fixing them remains a complex task: We understand the limits, but solving them is another issue. So yeah, we’re not quite convinced yet at the moment, so it’s complicated.

Because of these persistent hurdles, the team has been forced to shift their strategy for the remainder of the event: We’re treating the weekend a bit like a free practice session, Alex Albon concluded.

This is certainly not the position Williams hoped to be in, especially given the progress shown during the second half of last season and the extensive work put into the new 2026 challenger. While the season is still in its early stages, the Grove-based squad will need to react quickly to avoid falling further behind the midfield pack.

Alex Albon’s “drawing board” comment reflects a sobering reality for Williams as they navigate the complexities of the 2026 technical regulations. While the Mercedes Power Unit remains the gold standard of the grid, the FW46 chassis appears to be struggling with an inefficient aerodynamic profile that generates too much drag for the downforce it provides. For Alex Albon and his teammate Carlos Sainz, the Chinese GP has effectively become a televised test session, as they sacrifice immediate results to gather the data necessary for a major mid-season redesign. The hope is that by treating these early flyaway races as extended practice, the team can fast-track the development of a “Version B” car that better aligns with the performance seen by their rivals. For now, the focus remains on damage limitation and technical discovery on the long Shanghai straights.