Alex Albon has warned that the Williams FW48’s problems go far beyond excess weight after another disappointing performance at the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite removing several kilograms from the car, Williams has seen little improvement in its position relative to Formula 1’s midfield teams, raising serious questions ahead of its planned Baku upgrade package.
The Thai driver finished 15th at Spa-Francorchamps and admitted that Williams is still trying to understand why the FW48 remains so slow. His comments suggest the situation at Grove may be even more complicated than it appeared at the beginning of the season, when excess weight was widely considered the car’s principal weakness.
Williams FW48 problems remain despite weight reduction
From riches to rags, as the saying goes. Williams may not have entered the season expecting to fight at the very front, but expectations for its 2026 campaign were nevertheless extremely high, both among Formula 1 observers and, above all, within the team itself.
What is certain is that the British team’s season has so far been anything but memorable. The FW48 was fundamentally flawed from the outset and affected by numerous weaknesses: it was several kilograms overweight, its chassis arguably required further work after the car reportedly struggled to pass its crash tests during the winter, and it suffered from an evident lack of aerodynamic load.
The reasons behind the team’s difficulties were explained by team principal James Vowles around the time of Williams’ home Grand Prix. The former Mercedes strategist acknowledged that the team had not yet fully understood every change required to improve the car and offered little optimism that its performance could be transformed quickly. Williams’ difficult position has since been examined in a wider analysis of why its 2026 Formula 1 project fell behind.
The drivers’ feedback now supports James Vowles’ assessment. Alex Albon’s comments following his 15th-place finish in Belgium indicate that the underlying issues may be deeper than Williams initially believed.
At first, the FW48’s excessive weight appeared to be its main problem and was undoubtedly an important factor behind its lack of performance. In recent weeks, however, Williams has shifted its attention towards other areas that may explain why the car continues to be so slow.
Recent upgrades have allowed Williams to remove several kilograms from the FW48. Despite that progress, its performance relative to the opposition has remained almost unchanged, pointing to fundamental weaknesses that cannot be solved through weight reduction alone. The team has already been attempting to balance lowering the FW48’s weight with introducing performance upgrades.
Alex Albon fears Baku upgrades may have limited effect
The issue is particularly important because Williams is preparing an extensive technical package for Baku. Unless its engineers identify the reason why the car has failed to improve as weight has been removed, those upgrades could deliver little meaningful benefit. Reports have indicated that Williams is planning a major FW48 overhaul for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, making the next phase of its investigation crucial.
Alex Albon echoed the concerns previously expressed by his team principal and stressed that Williams must find answers before the new components arrive.
“We are still doing tests. We are trying to understand why the car is so slow,” Alex Albon said. “We are learning about new aspects. Weight is no longer the only problem. As we remove weight from the car, the gaps remain the same, while the other teams improve.”
“If we don’t get to the bottom of it before Baku, I think we will still be at the back of the grid despite the upgrades, so we have to keep trying to understand how we can improve the performance of this car.”
The pressure is increasing ahead of the Baku event on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. Williams cannot afford to introduce such a significant package without first understanding why its previous weight-saving work failed to close the gap.
Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon grow frustrated with Williams
Alex Albon’s call for immediate action follows numerous appeals from his team-mate Carlos Sainz and the Spaniard’s entourage. Their frustration has grown because the expectations and promises established before the season have not been fulfilled. Carlos Sainz has already publicly criticised the team over its unfulfilled 2026 expectations and significant pace deficit.
The drivers’ frustration is intensified by the way the FW48 behaves during races. Its limitations appear to be less severe over the opening laps, briefly giving Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz the impression that they can compete with the midfield. Their rivals then increase their pace during the following stages, while Williams remains at the same level and gradually falls away.
“Yes, it’s another one of those races where you start well and, for the first five or six laps, you feel like you have the same pace as the midfield,” Alex Albon explained. “Then suddenly they accelerate, while you maintain the same pace and lose ground. Yes, you lose ground throughout the race.”
That pattern was clearly visible at Spa, where Alex Albon’s race pace faded after an encouraging start. Instead of fighting consistently with the midfield, Williams was once again unable to sustain the performance required to remain in contention.
Component problems added to Alex Albon’s Spa difficulties
In addition to Williams’ existing performance problems, Alex Albon’s side of the garage had to carry out several operations during the weekend in the Ardennes. Components on the number 23 car had to be changed between final practice and the beginning of qualifying after the team identified further issues.
“From FP3 to qualifying, we took a step backwards, and it was mainly on my car,” Alex Albon said. “We saw that there were some problems and replaced some parts between FP3 and qualifying.”
“So we lost those components. We will have to make some changes. We are also carrying out further repairs on those parts so that we can use them again.”
When it rains, it pours at Grove—not that rain is particularly unusual in that part of the country. Williams’ drivers can only hope the team solves the technical puzzle that has occupied its engineers for months before the next major upgrades arrive. Failure to do so risks compromising an already difficult season even further.
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