Williams came away from Austria with a disappointing result: a double retirement that left a bitter taste, especially as it followed two other DNFs in Spain and Canada. While in Barcelona crashes were to blame, in Montréal the Grove-based team was stopped by a temperature-related issue, specifically involving the Power Unit.
That same issue resurfaced in Austria, albeit in different ways for each car. Carlos Sainz was unable to take the start of the race due to a brake issue that left him stranded on the grid. Although he managed to reset the system, the brakes remained engaged, causing abnormal overheating.
Once Sainz returned to the pits, the brakes were so hot they caught fire, and even with the intervention of mechanics equipped with cooling tools, it took some time to bring the situation under control. Already on Saturday during qualifying, Carlos Sainz had complained not only of a possible floor damage but also of braking issues.
“We need to check if there’s a correlation between Saturday’s problem and what happened on Sunday. The fact is, it’s yet another failure, and we need to understand exactly what occurred. The car was braking at the rear when I turned on the engine and I couldn’t move,” explained Carlos Sainz after the race — which ended before it even began.
“I managed to reset it, did a lap, but then it stopped again. In the end, we had to retire. But yes, lately too many things have been happening to us. The truth is that this first half of the season has been quite difficult in this respect: we keep encountering problems, but sooner or later this run of bad luck will end and things will start going our way.”
The point raised by the Spanish driver is entirely valid. In the opening races of the 2025 Formula 1 season, it was mostly operational mistakes that held the team back, like the error in Miami where the wrong tyres were fitted on Sainz’s car during the Sprint race — affecting Sunday’s Grand Prix as well — or the failed strategy at Imola, again working against him.
In recent weekends, however, reliability has become a real concern, especially regarding operating temperatures, as demonstrated by the issues suffered by Alexander Albon. Two weeks ago in Montréal, the Anglo-Thai driver had to retire due to Power Unit overheating, as it reached temperatures far beyond the safety threshold.
The team decided to test that same engine again in FP1 at the Red Bull Ring and, following a successful session, used it for the rest of the weekend. As a precaution, Albon also completed several laps in traffic to assess its behavior under stress conditions.
After the engine cover “exploded” in Canada, team principal James Vowles explained that the failure had been caused by a modification introduced to that element a few races earlier. However, the update had weakened some structural points, which led to the breakage seen in Montréal.
“It seems similar to the issue in Canada. We’ll definitely have to review everything. Three DNFs in a row… I really don’t know. It’s the same car as the beginning of the year, and back then it was much more reliable. I don’t know if it’s the temperatures we’re racing in that are making things so difficult,” said Alexander Albon after the race.
Generally, all Mercedes-powered cars tend to be relatively efficient in terms of cooling, with McLaren as the standout thanks to its particularly effective system. However, the Austrian Grand Prix is notoriously demanding in this respect, not only on the brakes but also on the Power Unit. That’s why many teams usually open up the engine cover vents more during this race, in order to expel as much hot air as possible. Williams followed the same approach, fitting prominent cooling gills to the engine cover — but even that wasn’t enough.
The temperature issue is now becoming increasingly important, not only for reliability but also for outright performance. In recent races, rivals have improved significantly, while the FW47 no longer benefits from the early-season advantage that made it appear quick and effective straight out of the box. Additionally, the new Williams car inherits from its predecessors a recurring difficulty in managing tyre degradation, especially on softer compounds. As track temperatures rise, the FW47 tends to struggle more and more — a pattern seen not only in Canada, but also at other events. When harder compounds are used, the car finds more grip and stability.
However, with rival teams rolling out upgrades and the Grove squad already shifting its focus to the 2026 regulations, certain issues — like temperature control and wind sensitivity, which has never truly been resolved — are starting to carry more weight than ever.
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