Carlos Sainz believes Williams may have turned a corner with its performance after a double points finish at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Williams gambled heavily on the 2026 technical regulations, abandoning development of their 2025 car early to focus resources to get a headstart on this season.
But optimism soon turned into desolation, as the FW48 proved to be slower than anticipated, as well as suffering from being overweight.
Updates to the car have also had delays, resulting in upgrades initially planned for Australia not appearing until Miami.
However, once on the car, the upgrades made a significant impact, with Sainz and teammate Alex Albon both securing points on Sunday.
“We finally put on the upgrade of the car that was supposed to come to race one,” said Sainz to media, including Motorsport Week.
“Because of all the delays we had at the start of the season, now we have finally put the car [on track] that was supposed to be the race one package.
Carlos Sainz outlines next step for Williams
With progress now made, Sainz outlined the next steps for Williams in the coming races. outlining one clear target.
“Now it’s on the car, it is performing at least at the level of the midfield cars. We know we still have a lot of weight to shed off the car, and when you look at that, it’s positive.”
“Clearly, this weekend, I think we were about sixth fastest, but then Alpine is 20-seconds in front of us here. It would have been 25-30 without a safety car. So to Alpine, there is still a bit gap, and to the front-runners, I cannot even tell you.
“We need to put our heads down, make this our new baseline, and start improving.”
Williams’ step forward is only the start of its journey to master these new regulations. The knock-on effects of its delays will likely continue for the next few races as it is now behind in the development race.
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