Spanish GP: Another tough race for Williams F1 Team
By Williams F1 Team
September 14 2026
The Atlassian Williams F1 Team would come away from the Madring having seen just one of their cars finish the 2026 Spanish GP, that of Alex Albon finishing in 15th. The other car of Carlos Sainz would retire in the pits after having struggled the race with damage after T1 contact. On top of this Carlos would receive a 5 second penalty for an incident involving Alonso. It was another tough race for the team and drivers as they continue to struggle with the FW48. Hopefully in the next race at Baku the team will see some improvements with the arrival of an upgraded car. Both Alex and Carlos are keen to see the updated cars arrival.
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Atlassian Williams F1 Team
Spanish GP Race Review |
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Alex Albon:
"It was a tricky race and a difficult weekend for us, but I think that
was probably the best we could've hoped for today. Beating both Astons
and one of the Haas' is what we could realistically maximise, so that
was our accomplishment for the day - we're still too far behind to be
properly competing with the midfield, and it was pretty tough out there.
"We've got the upgrade coming in Baku, so hopefully that moves us up
relative to the midfield and at least gets us into that fight.
Realistically it's probably not big enough to shift us forward
completely, but our priority unfortunately has shifted to next year. The
midfield teams have brought more upgrades than usual this season and the
development race is moving so fast, which is something we are focused on
improving." |
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Carlos Sainz:
"It’s been a tougher weekend in Madrid than what I would have liked. I
had a very strong start, picking up positions off the line, but I went
deep into turn 1 and had contact with Yuki. From there on, the damage to
the floor meant I was lacking a lot of downforce and couldn’t keep it on
track for the remainder of the race, forcing us to retire. Regarding the
penalty, two cars don’t fit into that corner so being ahead, there was
little I could do. It’s a disappointing way to end the first race here,
but ultimately, scoring points was always going to be near impossible
for us.
“The fans have been absolutely amazing from start to
finish and I’ve felt their support all weekend. The track is great and
for the first year I think it’s been a great event overall. There needs
to be some work done to create better overtaking opportunities.
“Looking ahead to Baku, I’m hopeful that the upgrades will put us more
in the mix with the cars ahead and that we can come back stronger." |
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James Vowles, Team Principal:
"A very tricky day – we don't have pace here this weekend. Fortunately,
we have a small step coming for Baku, but it's still going to be a
difficult run to the end of the year. It was fantastic to see the
support for Carlos, the entire grandstand was cheering him on all the
way through the weekend. That level of support is what we need to keep
us going in the tough times. Well done to Alex, he performed well all
weekend and that was the best the car could achieve today. Onwards and
upwards." |
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Madring, Spain |
Lap Length: 5.416km |
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Pos |
Driver |
Summary |
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P15 |
A Albon |
• Started: P16 • Strategy:
Medium, Hard • Fastest lap: 1:39.397 |
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DNF |
C Sainz |
• Started: P20 • Strategy:
Hard, Medium, Hard • Fastest lap: 1:40.195 |
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