(Motorsport-Total.com) – Williams is taking action after a difficult start to the season. The team has introduced several high-profile new hires in response to weaknesses that became apparent during the winter and in the first races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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Above all, the appointment of Piers Thynne is generating great hopes internally. The former McLaren manager is expected to modernize production and operations structures in particular – an area where Williams has recently had massive problems.
Carlos Sainz explicitly welcomes the changes. “After our difficulties in the winter, it became clear that we are not yet at the level we should be in several areas,” explains the Spaniard.
Sainz knows new man from McLaren days
Especially important: Sainz already knows Thynne from their time together at McLaren. That is why he apparently trusts him a lot. “He will be a massive help,” says Sainz about the new COO. The Spaniard sees great potential for improvement especially in production and processes.
For him, it is crucial that Williams recognized the problems quickly – and is now actively counteracting them. “There is a clear plan and a catalog of measures to make us stronger,” emphasizes Sainz.
Albon names team’s biggest weakness
Alexander Albon also does not hide where Williams is currently lagging behind. He sees deficits especially in production processes and the speed of new updates. “That is probably one of our biggest weaknesses,” Albon admits openly.
Especially compared to top teams, it is noticeable how consistently they can bring new parts to the track. That is exactly where Williams wants to go in the long term. In addition to Thynne, the team is also strengthening other key areas. Among others, Claire, an aerodynamicist from Mercedes, is joining, and Steve Booth is coming from Alpine.
Vowles openly admits “bad winter”
Team principal James Vowles speaks unusually openly about the problems of recent months. “It was a bad winter, there is no doubt about that,” says the Brit.
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What is now crucial, however, is how the team reacts to it. Williams is currently working aggressively to remove weight from the car while simultaneously bringing new performance updates.
In Miami alone, around five kilograms have already been saved. In Canada, further changes to the rear suspension and aerodynamics are coming.
Williams continues to struggle with new rules
At the same time, Williams is still occupied with the complicated characteristics of the new 2026 cars. According to Albon, the interaction of battery management, turbocharger, and energy recovery regularly causes chaos.
The Thai driver describes the new systems almost like a gamble. Previously, after the outlap, you just pressed a button – and every lap was identical. Today, even minimal different traffic can completely change the energy management.
“The probability that something does not go according to plan is now greater than the opposite,” explains Albon. As a result, braking and turn-in points sometimes shift by several meters – right in the middle of the qualifying lap.
Hope for Canada – but not everywhere
Sportingly, Williams remains cautiously optimistic. Both Sainz and Albon believe that tracks like Montreal could suit the car better than other circuits. Especially slow corners seem to favor Williams, while fast and medium-speed sections still reveal weaknesses.
“I hope that we can be closer to the top 10,” says Sainz. Albon even clearly states the goal of scoring points. At the same time, both drivers make it clear: Williams will probably only be truly consistently competitive when the upcoming development stages take effect – and the structural problems in the background are sustainably solved.
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