Don't Expect Williams's Baku Upgrade to Make It Competitive

Williams heads into the Formula 1 summer break confronting a sobering truth: its much-anticipated Baku upgrade won't transform the FW48 into a points contender. Team principal James Vowles and driver Alex Albon have publicly reset expectations, acknowledging the team has fallen behind rivals on development while still struggling to undo the harm of a difficult winter.

Why it matters:

This is year one of F1's new regulations cycle, where aggressive development should yield major gains. Instead, Williams has gone backwards relative to a rapidly improving midfield. Aston Martin's Hungary upgrade provided a stark contrast, leapfrogging rivals while Williams remained mired at the back. The blunt admissions from Grove signal structural concerns about the team's ability to generate and execute ideas at the pace required to compete in modern Formula 1.

The details:

• Hungary laid bare the gap. Williams was 4.422% off the pace using supertimes, its worst weekend relative to the front. Albon watched Aston Martin's leap and conceded, "We could only dream of an upgrade like that."
• The Baku package, previously billed as a B-spec car with a redesigned chassis to cut weight and fix aerodynamic deficits, has been downplayed. Vowles confirmed it "will not be enough to put us in a points-scoring position regularly."
• Vowles admitted the team is split between fixing the current car and preparing for 2027, a balancing act he described as "flying the plane and rebuilding it at the same time." He warned the "idea rate" behind the scenes isn't at the required level.
• Albon noted the Baku parts were planned long ago, and the real focus has shifted to ensuring next year's car doesn't inherit the FW48's chronic handling issues, including the "three-wheeling" trait exposed in long corners.

What's next:

With optimism around the Baku upgrade evaporating, Williams faces a long second half of 2026 where regular points appear out of reach. The challenge now is whether the team can address its foundational engineering weaknesses in time to produce a genuinely competitive 2027 challenger, or if this season's struggles reflect a deeper, more persistent reality at Grove.