Williams makes progress in Miami, but according to Carlos Sainz “it will take several months to return to the desired level”
The start of the 2026 Formula 1 season has been genuinely difficult for Williams, a team that had placed enormous focus on this new regulatory era for several years. Expectations inside the British outfit were clearly much higher, given the long-term effort invested in preparing for the latest rules reset. Instead, things have not unfolded as planned, and once again Williams finds itself chasing the front-running teams rather than joining them.
Perhaps no one has felt that disappointment more strongly than Carlos Sainz. After leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season, the Spanish driver chose Williams with this exact regulatory shift in mind, believing the team could use the new Formula 1 era as the foundation for a major revival. Instead, he has once again found himself battling for crucial points rather than podiums.
At the Miami Grand Prix, however, there were at least some encouraging signs. Carlos Sainz delivered a solid performance to finish ninth, ahead of teammate Alexander Albon, while Williams secured a valuable double points finish. The North American round also marked the debut of the first upgrade package for the British team’s car, with additional updates expected in the near future, although the team is under no illusions that overnight miracles are realistic.
Carlos Sainz on Williams’ situation and Formula 1 rule adjustments
The Miami result represented a welcome positive moment for Williams, but Carlos Sainz made it clear that far more work lies ahead if the team wants to return to genuine competitiveness.
“I expect everyone back at the factory to know that this is still not the ideal situation, even though for all of us it’s obviously a relief to have scored points with both cars. While it’s a deserved reward and definitely a step forward, we need to keep pushing because we are not where we expected to be at the end of last year, when we were looking ahead to 2026 and hopefully the beginning of a new recovery.”
The frustration is therefore unmistakable from the Spanish driver, who clearly imagined a very different start to this Formula 1 campaign.
Carlos Sainz also explained that any meaningful recovery will require patience rather than immediate expectations.
“Hopefully we can get back to the level we want by the end of the year. It will take several months to complete the transformation. I think we’ll need to get into the final third of the season before we see a real turnaround. But at least the upgrade we brought to Miami worked. We reduced some of the burden, but we know there is still more work to do. We have some more developments planned for the upcoming races, so we’ll stay positive and focus on the weaker areas.”
As chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, Carlos Sainz also shared his thoughts on the regulatory adjustments introduced at the most recent Formula 1 round.
“I think we simply need to find a solution for situations where the car ahead is on the straight in overtaking mode, because in that case passing becomes impossible. It’s very similar to the DRS effect, and maybe we can find something, but racing has never really been the main problem with these regulations.”
According to Carlos Sainz, the greater concerns remain elsewhere — particularly in qualifying performance and the overall behaviour of the current generation of cars.
“When it comes to qualifying, there is still a long way to go, but I don’t intend to keep criticising. I just want to be productive and continue insisting that this still isn’t enough for Formula 1. The FIA listened in Miami regarding the concerns about wet-weather conditions and intermediate tyres, and I was pleased with the measures taken to bring the race forward. You can’t criticise them — they did a brilliant job, and now it feels like everyone is working in the same direction.”
Alexander Albon on the upgrades: “Miami is a circuit that suits us, now we wait for Canada”
Alexander Albon also reflected positively on the Miami Grand Prix, while offering a measured assessment of Williams’ progress.
“It’s been a difficult start to the season, so bringing home a double points finish is fantastic and a really strong result for the team. We had a good start and I gained a few positions in the opening three laps, and the upgrades seem to be working well, allowing us to fight seriously in the midfield.”
However, the Thai-British driver stressed that the team is still learning about its updated package.
“There’s still room for improvement in terms of outright performance, and we experimented with different setups throughout the weekend. We still need to fully understand the new package, but we’ll keep pushing as hard as possible. Miami is a track that suits us particularly well, so now we need to focus on Montreal and get the most out of another Sprint weekend.”
For now, attention shifts to the Canadian Grand Prix, where Williams will discover whether the progress shown in Miami represents a genuine step forward — or simply a circuit-specific boost that flatters the true picture. The next round should provide a much clearer answer as to whether the British team is finally beginning to move in the right direction, or whether it will once again be forced into a longer chase than expected.
Leave a Reply