Williams: James Vowles explains disqualification and key factors behind Singapore race
After a challenging weekend in Singapore, Williams team principal James Vowles provided a detailed analysis of what happened and what lies ahead for the Grove-based squad. The Grand Prix weekend brought a double blow for Williams, as both cars were excluded from qualifying due to a minor irregularity in the rear wing. Despite the setback, the team managed to secure a point with Carlos Sainz, who finished tenth, while Alex Albon crossed the line in fourteenth place.
Vowles: “We still have a long way to go before we can call ourselves a title-contending team. Here’s why we were disqualified”
“Singapore was a clear reminder that we still have a long road ahead before we can consider ourselves a championship-level team,” began Vowles. The former Mercedes engineer gave a thorough explanation of the situation faced by the team: “People often talk only about performance, but behind it all there are structures, processes, and systems that ensure the car is solid, reliable, and fully compliant with regulations. In a way, Singapore and Baku perfectly represent the nature of motorsport: in Baku, we celebrated the euphoria of a podium, and just a few weeks later, we experienced one of the toughest moments when both cars were disqualified from qualifying on Saturday.”
From a technical point of view, Vowles explained that the car met regulations in most of the rear wing, but the very end of the component exceeded the permitted limits: “During the checks, we open the DRS and use a tool—similar to the one used by the FIA—to measure flexibility across the surface. Everything was compliant except for the outer edge of the wing, where the load slightly exceeded the legal limit. Even though the difference was minimal, the regulations are very clear: if a component is out of tolerance, it’s illegal. After a deep review, we found that some of our internal processes were not up to date and that even our measuring tool didn’t exactly replicate the FIA’s, which created a small discrepancy.”
Vowles: “The team’s reaction was impressive”
Vowles highlighted the team’s strong character and determination in reacting quickly ahead of Sunday’s race. After 62 laps, Sainz managed to bring home a valuable point: “This is just one of hundreds of checks the FIA can perform, but all are equally important. It’s our responsibility to ensure full compliance. Although it was a tough blow, I’m proud of how the team reacted overnight. We knew we had a competitive car, and the strategy group did an excellent job to still score a point. We were hoping for a bit of rain or a safety car to help us, but even without that, finishing with a point was a solid result.”
As for team morale, Vowles emphasized the importance of managing disappointment correctly. He has always indicated 2026 as the reference year for Williams’ technical growth, stressing that difficult moments like these are essential in building a stronger team. “After the disqualification, the hardest part was lifting everyone’s spirits,” he admitted. “But I actually see these moments as opportunities to grow. If you handle them the right way, you come out stronger; if you just get angry and start looking for someone to blame, you learn nothing. In this case, we dug deep to understand how we made that mistake and immediately corrected not just that aspect, but every quality-control procedure, both at the track and in the factory. By the next morning, everyone was ready to respond and fight for points.”
Vowles: “Race pace was strong. Alex sacrificed his race to help Carlos score”
Vowles then discussed how the race unfolded: “The car was quick in race trim, but in qualifying we didn’t extract all the performance. Still, I was confident that even starting from further back, we could score some points—and we did. Alex got stuck in traffic and couldn’t fully execute the plan, but he played the team game by slightly increasing his pace to create a gap for Carlos, allowing him to extend his stint. That move gave Carlos clean air and the chance to finish tenth, grabbing the only point possible. Alex deserved more, but with the traffic and blue flags, there wasn’t much he could do.”
Strategically, Williams had to adapt to the changing conditions. The original plan was to start Albon on the hard compound, but a heavy downpour about an hour before the race forced a change: “We initially wanted Alex on hards and Carlos on mediums. But then came the rain, and starting on hards on a still-damp track would have been too risky. So we switched both to mediums, aiming to extend the first stint and capitalize on the degradation of those on softs, fitting softer tyres at the end. In Singapore, tyre wear is significant—if you stay out longer, you can benefit. There was also the option of a safety car, which could have really helped us, but it never came.”
Vowles reflected on what might have been without the disqualification: “If we hadn’t been excluded, I believe both cars would have finished in the points. Our race pace was very strong, comparable to Aston Martin’s. Fernando Alonso probably had a bit more speed, but looking at where he and Oliver Bearman finished, I think both of our cars could have been in the top ten. Hard to say exactly where, but definitely higher than what we achieved.”
Vowles on Albon’s brake issue in FP1: “A failure in the brake-by-wire system”
Finally, Vowles addressed a problem that emerged during Friday practice. In FP1, Albon suffered a brake failure that led to flames on the rear brakes, forcing the mechanics to use fire extinguishers. Vowles explained the cause: “It wasn’t caused by humidity or braking load, but by a hardware failure in the brake-by-wire system. The issue—unrelated to the fact that Marina Bay is hard on brakes—could have happened anywhere. It started around Turn 10 on his flying lap. Even though we told him to slow down, the disc temperatures were already too high. In the pit lane, we used extinguishers to cool them, but the damage was done. It’s a technical issue we need to analyze carefully and fix before Austin.”
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