Daily News 19

Tag: Williams

  • Bernie Collins Issues Stark Warning to Williams After Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz’s Dutch GP Crash

    Bernie Collins Issues Stark Warning to Williams After Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz’s Dutch GP Crash

    Williams cannot afford the financial and development consequences of the collision between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst Bernie Collins.

    Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Collins highlighted the serious impact of the intra-team crash on the Grove-based team, which is already dealing with an overweight car, delayed upgrades and budget-cap constraints.

    Williams entered the Zandvoort weekend after announcing contract extensions for both drivers. However, its race quickly unravelled when Sainz and Albon made contact. Albon retired from the race, while Sainz received a 10-second penalty and eventually finished 16th.

    “The first rule within a team is do not hit your team-mate,” Collins said. “That is like the P1 rule. Particularly [for] a team who are struggling to bring upgrades, struggling for money. Their car is overweight and underperforming.

    “We hear Mercedes saying they don’t have enough money to bring upgrades. You just can’t lose the parts, the performance, the knowledge. So I think that’s something that they’re going to have a big discussion about.

    “Whether it comes out of their pay packet or not doesn’t matter because it’s already out of the budget. You can’t put it back into the budget and say, ‘Oh, the drivers have subbed this bit of the budget.’ It doesn’t work like that. So that was a difficult weekend for them.

    “And whether they did or didn’t do the right strategy, it was only [Fernando] Alonso who did the other strategy. So, they had very similar strategies to those around them. But the performance was lacking, and it just seems the car wasn’t the right weight, and it wasn’t delivered on time, and it didn’t have the right performance. So, there’s lots going on in the background of Williams there.”

  • Sergio Perez “had conversations” with Other Formula 1 Teams

    Sergio Perez “had conversations” with Other Formula 1 Teams

    Sergio Perez says he remains committed to Cadillac despite his management holding talks with rival Formula 1 teams about a possible move for the 2027 season.

    Reports had linked Perez with Williams if Carlos Sainz decided to leave the team. However, Sainz signed a multi-year contract extension with the Grove-based outfit, removing that potential opportunity.

    The Mexican driver was also associated with Alpine, although the team is expected to retain Franco Colapinto for 2027 after the Argentine improved during his first full season with the Enstone-based squad.

    Despite the speculation, Perez told Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast that he wants to remain part of Cadillac and help the American team develop beyond its debut season.

    “For me, nothing has changed,” he said. “Of course, we’ve had conversations with other teams and here and there, a few teams have been calling and stuff, but for me, nothing has changed. 

    “I see this as my project and I want to be part of Cadillac. I really believe [in it].

    “I don’t think this is a one-year project. I think this is a long-term project that I want to be part of. Obviously, there will be some discussions, but this is where I want to be and nothing has changed from my side.”

    Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

    Perez said he wants to see Cadillac make further progress and is also keen to assess the impact of new team principal Marcin Budkowski. Budkowski replaced Graeme Lowdon, who was released by Cadillac during the summer break.

    For Perez, improving Cadillac’s results will require more than simply increasing the car’s on-track performance. He also highlighted the team’s operational work, including pit stops, race strategy and tyre management.

    “I want to see more progress. Closing out the gap to the teams ahead of us,” he said. “I don’t know who’s ahead at the moment, I don’t know if it’s Williams, Aston seems to have become part [of the midfield] and being able to mix with them more in the races. 

    “Being able to close that gap will only allow us to start next year in a much better shape. And that’s something I want to see. Obviously, I’m looking forward to work with Marcin and see his leadership. 

    “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement. Not just on performance, operationally, pitstops, strategy, tyres. 

    “There’s so much still – we’ve only done the 11th race in our history. So there’s a lot of things. But I want to see much more progress. Closing out the gap and then I think that will give us a massive boost to start next year.”

  • James Vowles Reveals Williams’ “huge number of projects” to Fix 2026 Problems

    James Vowles Reveals Williams’ “huge number of projects” to Fix 2026 Problems

    Williams team principal James Vowles says the Grove-based Formula 1 team is managing a “huge number of projects” to correct development mistakes made during the winter that continue to affect its 2026 campaign.

    Williams targeting long-term performance fixes

    Speaking in his post-race The Vowles Verdict debrief after a difficult Dutch Grand Prix, Vowles said Williams is restructuring behind the scenes to identify and address the reasons for its current lack of performance.

    “As you saw, we announced both driver contracts last week, and it’s hard to put into words what it means to the organisation when that happens,” he said. “But it’s a monumental change. We have made mistakes this winter, which we’re still paying for today, and the drivers are paying for on the car that we’ve delivered on track.

    “What was great is when we started to show the future that’s beyond here, one that’s more around the long term, their commitment came to the forefront. And that’s really important to me. It’s important to the team. It’s important to everyone because ultimately we’re here and we know we have a pathway to go, but we’re here fighting as a team.”

    Williams ended speculation over its driver line-up before the Dutch Grand Prix, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz both signing contract extensions. Albon agreed to a one-year extension that will keep him at Williams until the end of 2027, while Sainz signed a multi-year deal.

    Although some updated car components are scheduled to arrive later in the season, Vowles said the Williams factory is prioritising fixes designed to improve the team’s long-term competitiveness.

    “We have huge numbers of projects, though, in the background to make sure that we’re just digging out what went wrong this winter and fixing for the long term,” Vowles added. “And that’s our commitment today as it will be in six months’ time.”

    Williams currently sits ninth in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with 11 points.

  • James Vowles Addresses Alex Albon–Carlos Sainz Collision at Dutch GP

    James Vowles Addresses Alex Albon–Carlos Sainz Collision at Dutch GP

    Williams team principal James Vowles says the team must accept part of the blame for the late-race collision between Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz at the Dutch Grand Prix.

    During a chaotic race at Zandvoort, won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, the two Williams drivers collided while fighting outside the points-paying positions.

    Williams accepts responsibility for Albon and Sainz crash

    Speaking in the team’s post-race video debrief, The Vowles Verdict, the Williams boss addressed the incident.

    “As you saw, Alex and Carlos came together on track,” Vowles explained. “There’s a lot of questions around whose fault it is, whose isn’t it? I’ll start with this. I think with our two drivers, both have a responsibility to not hit each other.

    “It’s hard to do it as a majority to one or the other, but both have a culpability in that. This particular circumstance, actually, I think we as a team have a culpability.”

    According to Vowles, the team’s decision to leave Sainz on worn tyres during the virtual safety car period contributed to the situation.

    “We tried leaving Carlos out at that VSC. The reason why was because had we stopped, he would have been behind Alex and Franco anyway. So you’re back net to where you would have been before, without the pace to be able to overtake them.

    “But that said, this also put our cars into a situation where they were fighting tooth and nail for no points on track. That’s not a situation we should be putting them in either.”

    Albon retired from the race after the collision, while Sainz continued to finish 16th.

    Sainz received a 10-second penalty for the incident, which he described as “fair” after the race.

    “Fair penalty. I had a bit of a surprise when I went to defend,” the Spaniard explained. “I had really worn hard tyres, struggling a lot with the car, with the pace of the race. “And when I went to brake on the inside, there was a massive bump on the inside of Turn 1. When you are further in the inside, the bigger it gets. I just hit with the plank. “I had the front tyres in the air. And as soon as I touched the brake, I locked up and I took Alex with me, which is the worst possible outcome for that race, because it’s not like we were fighting for anything big. But honestly, it caught me so much by surprise. Apologies to him, because it’s the last thing I wanted.”

  • Alex Albon Explains Why Williams Cannot Afford Team-Mate Secrets in F1

    Alex Albon Explains Why Williams Cannot Afford Team-Mate Secrets in F1

    Alex Albon has explained why he and Williams teammate Carlos Sainz share setup information rather than keeping performance gains secret on their respective sides of the garage.

    Williams has endured a difficult 2026 Formula 1 season. The Grove-based team is ninth in the constructors’ championship with 11 points, while Sainz and Albon sit 16th and 17th in the drivers’ standings with six and five points respectively.

    Although teammates naturally compete against each other, Albon believes the current limitations of the Williams car make collaboration essential. Speaking on The Fast And The Curious podcast after the Dutch Grand Prix, he explained that drivers at other teams may withhold useful information to gain an advantage, but said that approach would not benefit Williams.

    “What happens in some teams, and I know this, is that you will find something on your car, but it won’t be something the other car can’t find,” Albon explained. “It could be a line into a corner, it could be a gear choice, it could be a set-up direction, it could be the way that we implement the electronic system into the car.

    You could find something good, but you just won’t mention it. You can keep it quiet to your side of the garage.

    Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in Williams Formula 1 cars
    Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon, Williams. Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

    “Realistically, for us, at least I don’t do it, so maybe Carlos does it, I don’t know,” he laughed. “But because of the limitations of our car, we kind of work together on it.

    “It’s almost like we both have the same feedback with the same problems, and then we can split the cars,” he said. “One car might go, ‘Yes, this is working,’ so the other car joins onto that. Sometimes it’s like, ‘Oh, this works, and this works, so we’ll take a bit of both.’ You kind of chop and change sometimes.

    “Oh, this is the wrong way, so now the other car’s gone the other way, so now it’s that way. But there is a balance.

    “I remember that happened a lot more when you have two rookie drivers and you’re kind of fighting for the same [position]. You can imagine it becomes a little bit more [elbows out],” Albon added.

  • Carlos Sainz Denies Audi F1 Talks for 2027: ‘I never considered leaving Williams’

    Carlos Sainz Denies Audi F1 Talks for 2027: ‘I never considered leaving Williams’

    Carlos Sainz says he never considered leaving Williams despite the team’s difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Spaniard signed a new contract alongside team-mate Alexander Albon last week, committing his future to the Grove-based team.

    Williams, a nine-time constructors’ championship winner, has struggled so far this season. The FW48 has slipped down the competitive order and failed to score points in the last six races. The downturn had led team principal James Vowles to question whether he could retain his current driver line-up.

    Sainz dismisses Audi links

    Sainz held discussions with Williams and the future Audi team after losing his Ferrari seat ahead of the 2025 season, eventually choosing the Grove-based outfit. Two years later, reports linked him with a potential move to Audi for 2027, although there was no clear vacancy at the Hinwil-based team.

    However, Sainz told Motorsport.com that he had not seriously considered such a move.

    “No, it was just the usual paddock rumours,” he said in our exclusive interview. “I can confirm that this year I never seriously considered going anywhere else.”

    Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams

    Unlike Albon, who has committed to Williams for 2027 only, Sainz signed a “multi-year contract”. The wording suggests the agreement runs at least until 2028, although such language is also commonly used for contracts containing options for subsequent seasons.

    Why Sainz stayed with Williams

    Asked whether the new agreement meant he was no longer available to Formula 1’s leading teams, Sainz gave an indirect response.

    “The usual process is that, before signing a contract, you always assess the overall situation,” he said. “But when we put everything on the table, another aspect emerged that is very important to me: I’ve never liked leaving a team when it’s going through a difficult period.

    “It’s not in my character to go somewhere else if the situation has become worse since I joined the team. When I committed to the Williams project, I knew there could be difficult moments and, even though the one we’re going through now is particularly tough, I’m ready to accept it.

    “Nobody in the team is happy with the current situation, and we’re all pushing to change it as quickly as possible. But, as I said, it’s not in my nature to abandon ship when things get tough.”

  • Alex Albon Opens Up About Burnout Amid Growing Formula 1 Demands

    Alex Albon Opens Up About Burnout Amid Growing Formula 1 Demands

    Alex Albon has revealed that the demands of Formula 1’s expanding championship calendar and relentless commercial schedule left him suffering from severe burnout during the 2025 season.

    The Williams driver spoke about the difficulty of balancing racing with off-track commitments from Monaco, days after retiring early from the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

    Albon reveals impact of F1’s commercial demands

    Appearing on The Fast And The Curious podcast, Albon said his additional responsibilities, particularly around races in the United States, had taken a significant toll on him the previous year.

    “I find myself so drained, especially when we go towards our American races because that’s clearly where we’re more in demand, whether it’s through partners or content, whatever it may be,” Albon explained when asked how he manages his commitments as an introvert in a championship that attracts more attention than ever.

    “I’m happy to be my authentic self in these situations, but at the same time, I don’t know what it is, it just drains me. And so for me to get away, prioritising myself and spending maybe one or two nights back at home and then flying off again or whatever it may be, I put much more attention on that. I felt like I got burnt out last year quite badly.”

    How Albon recovered after Dutch Grand Prix retirement

    Albon said he adopted a deliberately quiet routine to recover after his retirement at Zandvoort.

    “Yesterday was literally… What did we do? Nothing. We woke up, we got brunch with Carlos. We literally came back, did nothing. Went for dinner, came back and watched more of nothing and then went to bed early.

    “Today is kind of a little bit like that, very normal, sitting on the couch doing your house chores, cleaning up the apartment. After this we’re just going to do some food shopping.”

    Alexander Albon, Williams
    Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

    Even during race weekends, Albon said it was important to escape the “melting pot” of the Formula 1 paddock. He sometimes travels 30 minutes from the circuit to find quieter restaurants, while noting that fans have consistently respected his privacy when he has gone out for dinner.

    “It’s no fun to be stuck in a hotel room all day,” he added. “Even if I’m introverted, I still find myself needing to get out there, just going for a walk or grabbing coffee.”

  • Alex Albon Dismisses Carlos Sainz Tension at Dutch GP After “Clear-the-Air” Breakfast

    Alex Albon Dismisses Carlos Sainz Tension at Dutch GP After “Clear-the-Air” Breakfast

    Alex Albon has dismissed suggestions of lingering tension with Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz after their collision at the Dutch Grand Prix, revealing that the pair discussed the incident over breakfast on Monday.

    Sainz accepted full responsibility for the intra-team clash at Zandvoort and received a 10-second penalty. The Spaniard was defending on old hard tyres into Turn 1 when he hit a bump on the inside line, locked up and slid into Albon’s car.

    The collision damaged Albon’s floor and forced him to retire, while Sainz finished 16th. However, Albon said there was no bad blood between the Williams drivers during an appearance on The Fast And The Curious podcast:

    “We grabbed breakfast on Monday. Carlos offered to pay. I allowed him to pay.

    “All chill. I think people like to make it out [to be] more than it really is, but at the same time, it was no Max and Daniel [Verstappen and Ricciardo at Baku in 2018]. For me, that was important. You can tell in the media pen as soon as you go after the race, you feel like the interviewer is like licking their lips, they’re getting so excited.

    “So you just have to kind of like shoulder it and be like, ‘No, we’re not going to go down that road.’”

    Albon joked that the collision had left Sainz owing him a free hit in the name of team equality. Asked whether he was allowed to “bump off” Sainz once as payback, Albon replied:

    “I think that’s a good one. I’m not sure the team would agree with this,”

    He then added:

    “I shouldn’t say this because it’s going to write its own script.”

    Albon also offered an insight into the pair’s Monday debrief in Monaco, describing the breakfast they shared:

    “I kid you not, Lily had scrambled eggs with caviar. I had just classic avocado toast and then Carlos and I shared some protein pancakes.

    “Carlos is way too confident about his pancake game. He has a confidence that I’ve never seen anyone have around pancakes. The way he talks about how he makes pancakes, you’d think he’s Gordon Ramsay’s coach.”

  • Williams Collapses in F1 Pecking Order: ‘Aston is a different league right now’

    Williams Collapses in F1 Pecking Order: ‘Aston is a different league right now’

    Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz says the team is currently faster only than Cadillac, while team-mate Alexander Albon has criticised the excessive number of blue flags the team faced during the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Williams made a steady start to F1’s new era, scoring 11 points in the opening six rounds and sitting eighth in the constructors’ championship after the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Sainz finished only 12th at the following race in Barcelona, and neither Williams driver has since managed a result better than 15th. The team has also struggled to progress beyond Q1 in qualifying.

    At Zandvoort, Albon narrowly reached Q2 in both qualifying sessions, while both Aston Martin cars were eliminated early. Fernando Alonso then delivered an impressive one-stop strategy to finish ninth in Sunday’s race, as Albon and Sainz slipped towards the back of the field.

    “We are pretty much where we expected, which is towards the back,” Williams’ Spaniard lamented. “We are only quicker than Cadillac at the moment. You saw the Astons in race pace, they are a different league right now. So we couldn’t fight them. We couldn’t fight anyone, really.”

    “You can’t imagine in the middle of the race how many blue flags you get,” Albon added. “I literally mean that every other lap is a blue flag.

    “When we pit too early on that first stint, we come out behind a group of midfield cars that we were racing. They all boxed to miss all the blue flags. But because of us pitting early, we had no choice but to take the blue flags. It’s like you get dirtier every lap to cars that you’re not even trying to race, you’re in the marbles. The ones that did box in front of you to miss the blue flags, they’ve now got new tyres, and they’re catching up to three or four seconds a lap because of the blue flags. So, within five laps, the cars that just pitted in front of you are already behind you.”

    Williams struggles with blue-flag traffic

    Albon made those comments before reviewing the race and its data. He was primarily referring to Gabriel Bortoleto, who made his second of three pit stops on lap 34 while running directly behind the Anglo-Thai driver and approaching the point at which the leaders would lap him.

    The Audi driver caught Albon just eight laps later, leaving the Williams driver repeatedly dealing with blue flags and traffic from cars he was not directly racing.

    Neither Williams driver expects the team to challenge for points at the upcoming races in Monza and Baku, despite both circuits being considered potentially suitable for the Mercedes-powered FW48.

    “If you look at the last five races, this is where we’ve been for the last five races. It is where we are,” said Sainz, who scored a podium finish in Azerbaijan last year.

    “We’ve had a very tough weekend on my side with some consistency of the parts, which haven’t allowed me to set up the car correctly for the race. We have to learn from it. There will be some interesting data points to go through as a team with the struggles that I’ve had. We will be able to, for sure, conclude on them and probably help us to understand better in the future.”

    Asked specifically about Monza, Albon added: “It’s always a good track for us. Low [downforce], not much combined cornering, so that tends to suit our car. We’ve got the best power unit on the grid, so it should help us. But I’m not expecting points.”

    Williams sits ninth in the constructors’ standings with 11 points. Audi is ahead on 16 points, while Aston Martin is behind on three.

  • James Vowles Labels Williams F1 Rebuild His “Life’s Journey”

    James Vowles Labels Williams F1 Rebuild His “Life’s Journey”

    Williams Racing team principal James Vowles has vowed that restoring the Grove-based outfit to a championship-contending level in Formula 1 will become his “life’s journey”. Vowles, who joined the team in 2023, inherited the significant challenge of modernizing outdated infrastructure and rebuilding the squad to recapture its former glory.

    Vowles Outlines Long-Term Vision on Team Podcast

    Speaking on the official Team Torque podcast alongside drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, Vowles reflected on the extensive rebuilding process currently underway. When answering a fan question regarding building resilience and mental toughness within an organization the size of Williams, Vowles delivered a candid assessment of his mindset.

    “There are so many life experiences that are hard that as long as you have the right approach to it, you come out the other side a better person.

    “The second is that I am stubborn and persistent and we will be at the level we need to be. This will become my life’s journey to achieve it, but as it is the both of yours [Albon and Sainz] as well, but the reality behind that is that it creates a strength that no one can break as a result of it.”

    Difficult Start to 2026 Campaign

    The commitment comes during a challenging period for the team. Williams endured a difficult start to its 2026 campaign, arriving at pre-season testing in Bahrain with an overweight car after missing a private test session in Barcelona. Despite the on-track struggles, the squad secured a major off-track victory by retaining both drivers.

    Driver Lineup Secured for the Future

    Albon and Sainz both signed contract extensions ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, providing crucial stability. Vowles acknowledged their commitment directly during the podcast.

    “Thank you to both of you, but it’ll be an absolute honour to have you by my side and as part of Williams for next year and hopefully many, many years beyond,”

    he said.

    Albon has penned a one-year extension keeping him with the team through the end of 2027, while Sainz has agreed to a new multi-year deal. The long-term driver contracts align with Vowles’ stated ambition to methodically return Williams to the front of the grid.