Williams didn’t do much development on their car last year, instead focusing on the new regulations. But even with that early start, they seem to be trailing behind other teams in terms of pace and readiness.
The team missed the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona entirely, and although they put in decent mileage during Bahrain testing, there’s little sign that they’ve caught up to the leading pack. James Vowles’ group still looks short of what’s needed to compete near the front.
While Sainz is talking up their prospects, it’s hard to see how Williams will hit the ground running at Albert Park.
Alex Albon posted only the 18th quickest time in week two of testing. While single-lap times don’t always tell the full story, only Aston Martin and Cadillac were behind them at this stage.
The car is rumoured to be well above the minimum weight limit for 2026, putting Williams at a clear disadvantage before racing even begins. Cutting down weight is rarely a simple fix either – it often means costly redesigns or switching out materials.
Williams told fixing overweight 2026 F1 car will be ‘expensive’
Palmer, speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, said: “I think they are pretty far back. They’re one of the disappointments for me this season because they had such a good end to last year.
“The podiums, fifth in the constructors, both drivers firing at various points of the year. And I still think their driver line-up is really strong. But it just doesn’t seem like they’re hitting the ground running.
“They missed Barcelona. To get out, they’ve then had to have workarounds to get the car on the circuit. The headline thing about Williams is that they have the heaviest car on the grid, by all accounts.”
Sainz and Albon were both taking downforce off throughout testing in order to try and bridge that gap and gain more straight-line speed, but Williams are still well down on their 2025 title rivals Red Bull and Mercedes.
He added: “And I’ve heard numbers that are just extraordinary about how heavy that car is. Speaking to people around, they say if you can drop the weight out of this car, we will be competitive.
“But there is so much that they need to get rid of. The good news is that it’s an easy development area in time, but it is expensive.”
Carlos Sainz admits Williams had a ‘complicated winter’ heading into 2026 F1 season
Sainz chose Williams over other midfield teams after being let go by Ferrari when Lewis Hamilton joined from Mercedes.
The Spaniard highlighted Vowles’ vision for growth as a key factor in his decision but has since said Williams went through a complicated winter and again find themselves playing catch-up against their direct rivals.
This has led Vowles admitting publicly that he to tried take on too much ahead of 2026 and given their power unit looks set up as arguably best-in-class this year – should only compound his frustration further.
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