As Williams Racing heads into the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, the team finds itself in a familiar but increasingly competitive midfield battle, team Principal James Vowles reflected on the Chinese Grand Prix. He acknowledged both the team’s recent progress and the challenges that remain.
Points on the board
With Alex Albon’s ninth-place finish in Shanghai, Williams has already matched its points total from the entire 2024 season. This achievement that brings both satisfaction and perspective. “It feels great to have equaled last year’s points tally,” Vowles admitted. “Actually, I have mixed emotions though. First of all, it reminded me of how little points we scored in 2024.”
More importantly, the result highlighted just how fierce the midfield fight has become.
“It’s a very close fight right now in the championship. You can see actually on the points table, whilst we’ve done well, Haas have a good number of points, Aston have a good number of points, and we’ve been out qualified or at least had VCARB near us at both of these events. And it’s a stark reminder that we need absolutely every millisecond available to us to be competing ahead of that incredibly difficult midfield battle.”
Williams benefitting from disqualifications
Vowles also acknowledged that the team benefited from post-race disqualifications in China. Alex Albon gained two spots from them, with Carlos Sainz moving up from 13th to 10th because of the three disqualifications.
“In reality, we were ninth in the last race. Yes, our car was in a good condition and others were thrown out as a result of not being there, but still we have to, on merit and not reliant on others being disqualified, be fighting for points”.
Despite the challenges, Williams remains on an upward trajectory.
“There are many, many things we’re improving, and there’s so much to look forward to in 2026 and beyond. But for now, we’ve got to absolutely keep finding every millisecond of performance in this car.”
A driver pairing built for success
Vowles also took the opportunity to praise Williams’ F1 driver lineup. He emphasised the team’s responsibility to provide both Albon and Carlos Sainz with the tools they need to succeed.
The Spanish driver had looked extremely impressive in winter testing, but he has struggled a little bit come qualifying in Australia and China. Sainz’s race in China last week was tricky as well.
“I am fortunate to have two world-class drivers in this team. Carlos is the last individual in this team full-stop that has won a Grand Prix, and he knows what it is to be performing at the very pinnacle of the sport. And we have a duty and responsibility towards him to make sure we adapt the car as he’s becoming more comfortable in our car and our environment to make sure we’re performing together.”
At the same time, Albon continues to prove himself as a key asset for Williams. “I think what’s great is the world can see that Alex is absolutely brilliant,” Vowles said, adding that both drivers are expected to be fighting for points.
Albon and Sainz mirrored feedback
One of the biggest strengths of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz has been their aligned approach to car set-up and feedback to help improve the FW47.
“Their feedback is very mirrored. So, where we have weaknesses and where we have strengths, both are very confident on that. Actually, it’s resulted in many of the what we call ‘tools,’ so the differential, the engine braking, all being very similar between both cars because their requirement for balance, the requirement for how they drive is very, very similar.”
However, Williams is still working to refine aspects of the car to better suit Sainz’s preferences. “There’s some characteristics that we still have that are perhaps not as good as what Carlos is used to from his previous days, and that’s what we’ve got to be actively working on to make sure that we’re really digging deep and finding every bit of performance available both in 2025 and 2026..”
Vowles also made it clear that both drivers are on an equal footing in terms of equipment at Williams F1.
“A clear statement on this one—both Alex and Carlos are using exactly the same equipment, the same chassis, the same front wings, the same gearboxes. Everything is of the same specification and standard.”
Looking ahead to Suzuka for Williams
With the Japanese Grand Prix looming, Williams is focused on building on its momentum while refining the car to stay ahead in the tightly contested midfield. While the road ahead remains challenging, the team is confident that its steady progress, combined with a highly capable driver pairing, will yield further success.
