(Motorsport-Total.com) – Williams driver Alex Albon believes that the team’s delayed start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has revealed weaknesses within the company. Delays with the new FW48 race car forced the Grove-based team to miss the first tests at the end of January in Barcelona, meaning they already arrived at the official winter tests in Bahrain with a deficit compared to the competition.
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Also due to an overweight car in the first three races of the season, Williams currently sits 9th in the Constructors’ Championship with two points. In an interview with Up To Speed, Albon openly talks about the frustration within the team at the start of the year, after they had been significantly stronger in 2025. The team led by James Vowles finished 5th in the Constructors’ standings in 2025, and Albon’s teammate Carlos Sainz secured two podiums in Azerbaijan and Qatar.
“It was somewhat frustrating for all of us – considering that every year it feels like progress is being made. And at the start of this year, things looked positive. But in the last few months before the start, there were delays, one thing led to another, and suddenly we were significantly behind,” says the Williams driver.
“That is not where we belong in my opinion. At the same time, it has revealed areas in many ways where we as a company have weaknesses. Therefore, we need to find out why this regulation change set us back so far.”
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“From 2022 to 2025, of course, the cars evolved and improved. But the strain on a team with a new regulation is quite different. And as I said: it has exposed some bottlenecks in the factory.”
When asked if missing the Barcelona test was a big disadvantage, the Thai-Brit adds: “Everything plays a role. The valuable track time, especially with the limited testing opportunities. Even for us, a lot of time in FP1, FP2, and FP3 is now spent on deployment and basically software work on the car.”
“You can’t afford many rake runs or aero tests. We usually do those things during a shakedown. We could hardly do that, so we’re catching up now. And I think that’s an echo of us missing the tests.”
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