The long-awaited Williams week has arrived. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is just around the corner, and it was precisely in Baku where Carlos Sainz’s team had promised to introduce a new upgrade package that would turn the season around. But now that the date has arrived, plans seem to have changed.
James Vowles, the Williams team principal, has explained why they do not expect the updates to the car to drastically alter the situation. Yes, Williams will implement the changes that were planned, but Vowles believes that the other teams have progressed so much during this period that the new package will be of limited use.
Williams promised upgrades in Baku, but now warn not to expect much
The Williams F1 team is not having its best season. They started the year far behind, and the first upgrade packages they introduced barely changed the situation. So they decided to pause to reorganize, combine upgrades, and implement a big package later, in Baku.
The Baku date has arrived, but Williams now warn: they will introduce the upgrades, but do not expect them to change much. This is what James Vowles, Williams’ team principal, said, who asserts that “our upgrades will not be enough to score points consistently”. In other words, they will remain at the back of the pack.
Vowles argues that “the rest of the grid has advanced a lot in these months”, and Williams has not made substantial changes to its car in nearly three months. They have not scored since June 7, when Alexander Albon finished eighth in the chaotic Monaco Grand Prix. On the verge of four months without points.
Vowles believes that “the problems we are facing at the moment are being exaggerated. We have spent too long without adding performance to the car, so we have fallen behind the teams around us.” Williams is eliminated in almost every Q1 with both cars, unless something unusual happens on the outside.
At least Vowles has managed to secure the renewals of Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon, something that wasn’t easy given the surrounding backdrop, and for which he had to dig into the purse. In Baku, Williams plans to shed weight and improve the aerodynamic load of the single-seater. “We are going to take two new chassis,” Vowles said.
But expectations are already lowered, and the question at this stage of the season is whether Carlos Sainz will add another point for the remainder of 2026.
Images | Williams
