The Australian GP was a painful one for Williams, as both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon failed to score points. Frankly speaking, neither driver was ever seriously in contention to finish in the top 10.
Given the resources Williams have invested into these 2026 regulations, their early starting point is very disappointing. There will no doubt be pressure for James Vowles to rectify the situation and put the FW48 in a more competitive place.
Putting aside the team’s current situation, Sainz has assessed the 2026 regulations. Like many other drivers, the Spaniard believes the latest generation of cars have a series of problems that need to be resolved.
The 31-year-old argues the most prominent concerns are related to safety – which he believes originate from the engines.
Sainz issues early verdict on 2026 cars
For all the negative coverage surrounding the F1 2026 cars after qualifying, the Australian GP had some entertaining moments. The first part of the race exceeded all expectations, with Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton fighting for first place.
Whilst the first Virtual Safety Car essentially ended Mercedes and Ferrari’s battle for victory, the potential for multiple teams fighting at the front was encouraging.
Perhaps more encouragingly, fears that Mercedes could dominate the season in similar fashion to 2014 have quietened – at least for now. Of course, it remains to be seen how the pecking order will evolve across the season.
Still, plenty of criticisms remain about this new generation of cars.
To some, the role of the battery is too extreme – with energy discrepancies between drivers creating massive speed differences at the end of straights.
When speaking to the media post-race, Carlos Sainz gave a series of observations. Perhaps most notably, the 31-year-old raised concerns about race starts and overtakes:
“The biggest worry for me about the racing is Lap 1. It felt like it was really sketchy with SLM [Straight line Mode] of everyone on the back straight.
“It felt really dangerous, very difficult to control the car in slipstream and SLM – and then when racing someone else, the same.
“If it’s straight line, it’s not bad, because it’s like the DRS last year. But when there’s a bit of cornering and both cars are using SLM, it becomes like there’s cornering in Turn 7/8.
“On that back straight, it feels sketchy also.
“I think the SLM is the plaster on top of the engine to protect the deployment issues we have. But for sure, lap 1 and overtaking doesn’t seem to be very safe at the minute.”
The bigger concern for Williams
For obvious reasons, the evolution of these 2026 regulations impact every team. Therefore, calls from drivers to make changes – whether they are implemented or not – are relevant to the political aspect of Formula 1.
Still, Williams cannot count on regulatory adjustments to resolve their issues. At least at their core, these cars won’t undergo a massive evolution, at least in the short-term.
It is normal for the FIA to implement changes and adjustments to regulations over time. However, these tweaks are usually implemented at the end of the year – meaning teams must adapt with these cars as they are.
Put bluntly, Williams’ performance at this stage is unacceptable. Despite enjoying the best engine on the grid, the British team find themselves near the bottom of the field.
Should Honda resolve their engine issues, there is already enough evidence to suggest the AMR26 is a more competitive aerodynamic package than Williams. In this sense, there is a lot of work ahead for the Grove-based operations.
Because these 2026 cars are such a unique challenge, there is plenty of scope for development. The question is whether Williams can resolve some of their fundamental issues (excess weight) and start quickly developing the FW48.