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Williams' Upgrade: 'Wake-Up Call' After Disappointing Silverstone
Following an ambitious upgrade, Williams endured a frustrating weekend in Great Britain, much to the dissatisfaction of driver Carlos Sainz.
By Nadia van Leeuwen - 2026-07-09T07:34:50.000Z - 2 min read
The Williams team had hoped for a turning point at the British Grand Prix. Heading to Silverstone with a long-awaited upgrade package for the FW48 focused on weight reduction, harsh reality soon set in as the squad failed to score points for the third race weekend in a row.
Driver Carlos Sainz spoke of a weekend that was "much tougher than expected." Starting 14th, he performed admirably to gain four positions in the opening stages, but could not hold onto his points-paying position. A post-race one-lap penalty for a Safety Car infringement subsequently dropped him to 17th place.
"I had a great start and passed all the cars I needed to get into the points," Sainz reflected. "I tried to defend my tenth place with everything I had, but we simply lacked pace." He emphasized the need for a thorough analysis of the car, which he believes is lacking too much performance. "This is a wake-up call for us."
Team principal James Vowles acknowledged the challenges, stating that while the brought upgrades did make the car faster, they were insufficient. He suggested that rivals are either making more progress, Williams is failing to extract everything from the package, or a combination of both factors. Last year the team finished fifth in the championship; now it finds itself in eighth place, with Alpine and Racing Bulls pulling away.