Carlos Sainz secured his first points of the 2026 season for Williams with a 9th-place finish in China. Clever team strategies, combined with seven total retirements during the Chinese Grand Prix—including both McLarens failing to even start due to technical issues—provided a valuable opportunity for struggling teams to finish in the top ten and earn crucial points. Williams, which had missed the points in Australia, returned to the top ten in Shanghai thanks to Sainz’s strong performance.
The former Ferrari driver managed his tires expertly and defended well in the closing stages against Franco Colapinto, who was charging back after contact with Esteban Ocon. “It feels great to score points here in China thanks to a strong start, effective tire management, and solid defense at the end of the race against Colapinto,” commented the #55 driver. “We know that at this stage of the season, we can’t rely solely on race pace to score points, but today we did everything right, and that made the difference. We should be proud of having maximized every aspect, and I hope these points motivate the entire team, both on track and in Grove. Everyone is giving their best, and we must continue to push hard in the coming weeks to further improve the car’s performance. Vamos!”
It was a far less satisfying Sunday for Alex Albon, who was among the four drivers unable to start due to technical issues. “There isn’t much to take away from today, as during the formation laps we identified a hydraulic problem that prevented me from starting,” he explained. “We hoped to get back on track for a few laps and break in the car again ahead of Japan, but unfortunately, we couldn’t fix the issue in time. We need to thoroughly analyze the problems and feedback we received and understand our reliability issues to improve performance. As a team, it’s important to distinguish what is within our control and what isn’t, and we need to work together for Japan in just two weeks. The positive side is that Carlos managed to score some points for the team today, and congratulations to Kimi for his first victory.”
The performance in China confirms that even with a technical deficit, a driver of Carlos Sainz’s caliber can produce results through sheer intelligence and defensive skill. With the first points now secured, Williams can breathe a little easier as they head into the high-speed challenge of the Japanese Grand Prix, hoping to build on this hard-earned momentum.
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