Carlos Sainz outlines Williams’ key targets for 2026 revival

A difficult start to a new era

Carlos Sainz has made it clear: Williams must raise its level across the board if it is to compete higher up the order in 2026.

The Grove-based team has endured a challenging start to the season, scoring just once courtesy of Sainz’s ninth-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix — a result he described as a “mini victory.” That modest return underlines the scale of the task ahead.

Pre-season disruptions set the tone. Williams’ testing programme was hampered by delays and production issues surrounding the new FW48, designed to the sweeping 2026 regulations. The team was notably absent from the Barcelona shakedown in January, though it did recover some ground in Bahrain testing, completing the third-most laps of any team.

Despite the early setbacks, there have been flashes of optimism. Alex Albon has insisted the team “will get there,” and both drivers have extracted occasional positives from a difficult package. Yet the reality remains stark: escaping Q1 in qualifying has become a battle. Albon managed it in Australia, Sainz in Japan — isolated bright spots in an otherwise uphill fight.

The weight problem holding Williams back

At the heart of Williams’ struggles lies a fundamental issue: the FW48 is overweight.

“Honestly, we have a lot of weight to lose, it's no secret,” Sainz admitted. “Would it be a good car [if we got the weight down]? I think we can do better.”

The Spaniard pointed directly to early production setbacks as a key contributor.

“Apart from the weight, I believe this team has the potential to design and produce a car that is much better than what we've done. For the start of the year, we had many issues on the production side that delayed the production of the car. It put the car overweight, more than we expected.”

The excess mass has compounded Williams’ difficulty in closing the gap to midfield rivals such as Haas, Alpine, Audi and Racing Bulls. It has also limited the drivers’ ability to fully exploit the evident strengths of their package.

More than just weight loss

However, Sainz is clear that simply trimming kilograms will not be enough.

“The reality is we can all do a lot better and as a team we're not only going to take weight out of the car, we need to gain downforce and get a better balance in it and that's all of the targets for this year.”

In other words, the recovery plan is multi-layered: reduce weight, increase downforce, and improve overall balance. These are not incremental tweaks, but structural objectives that will define Williams’ trajectory under the new regulations.

Long-term belief, short-term pressure

Sainz chose Williams over other suitors after being convinced by team principal James Vowles’ long-term vision of returning the squad to the front. While last season brought encouragement with a fifth-place finish in the Teams’ Championship — comfortably ahead of Racing Bulls, and highlighted by two podiums from Sainz — this year’s car has not met expectations.

The upcoming break offers a valuable opportunity. Although Williams’ fifth-place finish last year limits their wind tunnel allocation compared to teams such as Alpine, they still have scope to address their weaknesses. Crucially, there is belief that the performance potential within their Mercedes power unit can be better harnessed once the chassis issues are resolved.

For now, the message from Sainz is clear and unsentimental. The ingredients for progress are there — but execution must improve dramatically if Williams is to turn promise into genuine competitiveness in 2026.