(Motorsport-Total.com) – Williams can breathe a sigh of relief: Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon will remain with the Formula 1 team beyond the 2026 season. For team principal James Vowles, this is anything but a given considering the dramatic crash this year. The Brit admits that at times he actually feared losing both drivers.
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Albon has extended his contract until 2027, while Sainz has signed a contract extension described as multi-year. This means Williams is sticking with its driver pairing – even though the team has fallen far short of expectations this season.
“I was worried about losing both because they are drivers with world championship potential who deserve the chance to fight for podiums or more,” Vowles explains in Zandvoort.
Williams currently cannot offer them exactly that. After a strong 2025 season, the next step towards the top group should have followed. Instead, the 2026 project turned into a disaster.
Vowles: “We did not deliver”
For Vowles, this is the biggest risk. Sainz and Albon are not just drivers who can wait for a long-term perspective. Both have the potential to fight at the top of Formula 1 – and Williams has not given them that opportunity so far.
“We did not deliver that,” admits the team principal. Even more problematic is that the setback came completely contrary to the team’s previous development. Under Vowles, Williams had worked its way step by step out of the back regions of the field. The 2025 season had even significantly accelerated this development.
“That we are going backwards is not only a surprise for the drivers but for everyone,” says Vowles. “And that will always create the risk that we lose them.”
The 2026 Williams proved to be a misdevelopment. According to Vowles, the car was too heavy, finished late, and did not reach the targeted performance specification. At the same time, structural weaknesses within the team were exposed. This put not only the sporting future of the racing team at stake but also the trust of its two most important drivers.
Sainz and Albon stand behind the project
That both still extended is therefore seen by Vowles as a particularly important signal. When the problems became obvious, Sainz and Albon did not respond with blame. Instead, they asked what they themselves could do.
“At the moment we had problems, they stood by our side. There was no finger-pointing, but rather: ‘Tell me what I can do,'” reports Vowles.
Both drivers even came to the factory, spoke with the staff, and tried to give the organization a boost. Even after their contract extensions, Sainz and Albon repeated this visit.
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For Vowles, this behavior is a sign that both are not only looking at short-term results. “They want this to be part of their story, namely to be here while this organization is rebuilt,” he says.
Why the extensions are so important for Williams
That both cockpits remain occupied is also enormously valuable for the racing team from a strategic perspective. Williams is in the middle of a profound restructuring. The fewer variables change in the process, the easier it is for the team to continue its development.
“This consistency is important because the team is really maturing and changing,” explains Vowles. Especially for the driver pairing, stability is “desperately important” to build on what has been achieved so far.
The news has therefore also brought relief within the factory. Vowles speaks of a “burden lifted from the shoulders” of the staff. After months without significant successes, the double contract extension is a much-needed boost of motivation. But it is by no means a free pass.
Williams is far from saved
Vowles explicitly warns against concluding from the new contracts that Williams has already solved its problems. “We will not fix Williams in twelve months. That will not happen,” the team principal makes clear.
It is impossible to eliminate all problems accumulated over years within a single season. Instead, the team must ensure that every decision is aimed at long-term success.
According to Vowles, this is exactly what Sainz and Albon wanted to see: not necessarily immediate wins or podiums, but proof that Williams is drawing the right conclusions from the disaster. “What Carlos wanted to see – and Alex as well – are the changes we are making that show we are on the right path,” explains Vowles.
Sainz and Albon bet on the turnaround
Williams has initiated numerous changes in recent years for this purpose. Among other things, experienced staff from other top teams were hired to modernize the outdated structures of the racing team.
Vowles therefore sees an important difference between the current setback and earlier problems despite the catastrophic 2026 year: Williams now knows better what needs to be changed. “We are far from where we wanted to be,” he admits. But the direction is crucial.
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