James Vowles praises Albon’s performance growth, while highlighting Sainz’s steady adaptation and vital contributions to Williams’ ongoing improvements this season.
Williams F1’s young driver, Luke Browning, had an eventful first few practice sessions of the season. The British driver even found himself in a heated moment with his teammate. However, in the press conference, James Vowles, the team principal at Williams F1, was quick to defend his protege, saying there was no pressure and no penalty involved.
“It wasn’t Luke’s fault; it was ours. He did a fantastic job. If you followed the sessions closely, you’d know he was running a lot of aerodynamic tests for us,” Vowles explained. “It was an opportunity to revisit a previous test location with a slightly modified car to see what had changed and how it had evolved. In this context, Luke only had one timed lap on soft tires, and finishing 13th in that lap is by no means a bad result. We’re really pleased with his performance.”
What’s even more reassuring for Williams F1 is that the team has already surpassed its total points from 2024 (19 points so far this year, compared to 17 last year).
Was this a surprise for Vowles, especially since Williams F1 had been betting heavily on the 2026 regulatory changes?
“It’s always tricky to assess performance levels because everything is relative. For example, last week, five cars in Q3 were separated by just 60 thousandths of a second. The midfield is extremely tight,” Vowles said. “Making it out of Q1 is not easy for us. You qualify with a tenth and a half advantage at most, and even McLaren can’t be completely confident. It’s incredibly tight now. When you talk about points, to be honest, it reminds me of how poor last season was, in my opinion. But what’s important is that we’re on an upward trajectory year after year. What will be telling is how all the midfield teams evolve relative to each other over the next ten races.”
Vowles Praises Sainz’s Constructive Approach Despite Performance Challenges
18 of the team’s 19 points have been earned by Alexander Albon, who continues to outperform Carlos Sainz. The Thai driver has made further strides this winter, and Vowles is not surprised by this progress.
“I remember the day I joined the team – I’ve known him since 2016 – but that day, I’d say he’d been through a lot, to put it politely,” Vowles recalled. “You’ve seen him improve year by year, and this season, he hasn’t put a foot wrong. I can’t fault him. His performance has been flawless. He knew he had to raise his game with Carlos in the car, and he’s done exactly that.”
So, is Vowles disappointed with Carlos Sainz’s performance, considering he’s struggling to adapt to the Williams F1 car?
“I’ve said it before – there are two ways to evaluate a driver. The first is what he does in the car, and that will take some time. Our car has a very different adaptation style compared to Ferrari. He’s gradually getting used to it. Japan was already a big step forward,” Vowles explained. “As I’ve told everyone – the last Williams F1 driver to win a race was him, and he knows what it takes. He’ll be up to speed quickly. Even outside the car, he’s already contributing a lot. The car is faster because of his efforts, his work ethic, and the way he collaborates with the engineers. That’s why Carlos was my number one target. He’s excellent at helping a team progress, and he’s already showing it. On top of that, as you’ve seen, he’s also a part-time strategist – and he’s pretty good at it. Some of the points we have today are also thanks to his support for Alex.”
“The difference now is that just a tenth of a second can place four cars between the two,” Vowles continued. “But it’s a relative numbers game. Between him and Alex, I don’t think there’ll be a thousandth of a second between them when both are at their best. That’s what he analyzes, and I do too.”
Sainz has already influenced some changes in how things are done at Williams F1, but isn’t it difficult to see one individual correcting the work of hundreds of employees?
“That’s a great question. I think what we’ve built at Williams in the past twelve months is impressive – we’ve grown by around 300 people. We’ve recruited experts from nearly every team on the grid,” Vowles explained. “One of our strengths has been creating a culture of acceptance: we’re not world champions, and we haven’t been for twenty years. So, every opinion matters, every voice counts. It’s a horizontal structure. I believe anyone can have ideas that help us move forward – and Carlos is no exception. He’s integrating very well into this model. He has no political agenda. He just wants the team to improve.”
“Alex, too, by the way. I didn’t need to do much other than set the rule from the beginning: we’re not (yet) champions. And even if we were, even if we were winning races, we’d still need to keep learning. We need to learn faster than our rivals, develop faster than our rivals. This culture is crucial for a competitive team. And what really helps is that Carlos has a constructive approach. It’s not ‘me, me, me.’ It’s ‘if we do this, we’ll all progress together’ – and that brings everyone along for the ride.”
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Sainz Slowly Adapts, Brings Fresh Energy to Williams F1 Sainz Slowly Adapts, Brings Fresh Energy to Williams F1