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.

 
 Atlassian Williams F1 Team Spanish GP Race Review
 
Sainz
 
Albon

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."

 
Sainz

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."

 
Vowles

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."

 
Albon
 
Sainz
 
Madring, Spain Lap Length: 5.416km
Pos Driver Summary
 
P15 A Albon • Started: P16
• Strategy: Medium, Hard
• Fastest lap: 1:39.397
DNF C Sainz • Started: P20
• Strategy: Hard, Medium, Hard
• Fastest lap: 1:40.195
 
Albon
 

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