Williams Chief Delivers Early Verdict On 2025 As Team Looks Ahead To 2026

Saajan Jogia | Oct 9, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Williams driver Alexander Albon (23) races out of turn 17 during F1 Sprint Qualifying at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Williams Team Principal James Vowles has acknowledged that his team may face challenges during the 2025 season, as all development and strategic efforts will be directed toward the entirely new Formula 1 car for 2026. In a bold move, Vowles is prepared to sacrifice immediate results in 2025 to ensure a stronger future in the upcoming era of regulations that begins in 2026.

The 2026 Formula 1 season represents a significant milestone in the sport's evolution, heralding not only the introduction of new regulations but also a technological transformation for the cars. A major highlight will be the power unit, which will feature a balanced combination of electric and internal combustion power. Additionally, the cars are set to be more compact and lighter, with simplified aerodynamics to enhance performance.

Williams is fully committed to the 2026 season, making strategic investments in technology and talent. After finishing seventh in the Constructors' Championship last year, the team currently sits in eighth place this season. However, recent performances by both Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto, who have secured points finishes in the recent Grands Prix, suggest that Williams is on the right track moving forward.

With the driver lineup changing in 2025 with the addition of Carlos Sainz alongside Albon, Vowles revealed that both drivers are updated on the team's strategy to expect struggles in 2025. Speaking to Motorsport.com, he said:

“It’s the message that Alex and Carlos both know: 2025 will be a struggle, I think.

“And if we are, I’m okay with that, because it simply says that I’m investing at the right rate for ‘26 compared to those around me. That’s what we should be expecting from it: we are going to compromise ’25. That doesn’t mean we’ll be tenth, but it’s going to be a hard year.”

He added:

“I think we were fortunate to finish seventh last year.

“RB was bloody quick at the end of the year, and it was really just a matter of one strategic call, almost, that defined who finished ahead in the championship. We still finished seventh.

“This year’s car was performing. I think I was quite open in how overweight we were. Just take that time off and you’ll see that we shouldn’t be where we are in the championship. Now that we’ve had the performance, taking the weight off the car, we’re back to where I would have expected us to be – which is therefore not a step backwards.”

As Williams takes big leaps toward 2026, Vowles assured that it will "trip" on the way. He added:

“We are trying to do leaps – not steps forward, not inching forward, not minimal gains, or marginal gains even, but leaps in the technology and what we’re doing.

“And in doing so, we’re going to trip ourselves up. And I’m comfortable with that, because we can’t unlearn what we’ve learned.

“I give you almost a guarantee: unfortunately, we’re going to trip ourselves again. I don’t think it’d be in ‘25, for what it’s worth. I think we’ve got enough of a good pathway to lead us there. I think in ’26, what we’re asking of the organisation is more than we can deliver. So we’ve got to make it fit or perhaps trip up a little bit along the way.”