Against expectations
The good performance of last season, which ended in 5th place in the Constructors’ standings after long and constant work focused on increasing competitiveness, had raised hopes for further steps forward for Williams for 2026, which has been in a severe results crisis for years. A general hope in Grove that, however, collapsed even before the pre-season tests, with the FW48 even absent from the Barcelona shakedown as it was not homologated by the FIA and with subsequent problems related to the car being overweight.
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Optimism remains
A complex moment, therefore, for the historic British team, recognized primarily by its ambassador Damon Hill, winner of the world title in 1996. The former driver, interviewed by Channel 4, remains optimistic that the team can make steps forward as the season progresses, but was very honest about the current situation: “They are coming – he stated – you have to keep moving forward, otherwise you go backwards, but they are starting from very far back, so they have a lot of work to do this year. It’s a bit daunting. They had a fantastic season last year. So they know the work ahead of them will be hard and they have to get to work. They will make it, but at the moment it is a work in progress.”
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How to seize the opportunity
The team members will focus as much as possible during this month to implement the comeback from Miami onwards, taking advantage of the unexpected break resulting from the conflict in the Middle East that led to the cancellation of the GPs in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia: “Every single hour of this break will be used to get back in shape at the right time for the return to Miami – explained Team Principal James Vowles on Williams’ social channels – clearly, we didn’t start the season as we would have liked. So this period will serve to evaluate what we can actually change. Now, without losses, we can count on the fact that production can be focused on future performance, some of which could arrive in Miami, others later. It’s no secret that we are overweight. Again, developments will focus on that period, ensuring we can reduce the car’s mass in a sensible way. By then we will have competed in three Grands Prix, but there is never enough time after the race to analyze every single piece of data and understand, in hindsight, what we should have done and what programs we want to start in the future. This period offers us a great opportunity to do that. The drivers will be back here in the UK and we will use the simulator practically every day, as much as possible. Furthermore – he concluded – we will also do pit-stop practice with the team here, on most days when it is possible. So, it will mainly be about understanding what we can fit in and what will give us the maximum result with the minimum effort”..
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