Nico Rosberg pinpoints Williams mistake that has haunted the team all season

Williams' 2026 season was effectively over before it began, according to Nico Rosberg. The 2016 world champion believes the team's over-ambitious approach to developing the FW48 backfired, leaving them with an overweight car that has haunted them all year.

Why it matters:

After a resurgent 2025 that saw Williams finish fifth in the Constructors' Championship, the team has plummeted to ninth with just 11 points in 14 rounds. A single design miscalculation during the winter has undone years of progress, and with a Mercedes engine in the back, there's no excuse for the lack of performance. The setback is a major test for team principal James Vowles, who had been rebuilding Williams into a consistent top-eight contender.

The Details:

• Overweight car: Rosberg told Sky Sports' F1 Show that Williams "messed up the winter" by trying to be too innovative with the chassis. The result was a car carrying too much weight, costing roughly three tenths of a second per lap for every 10kg over the limit.
• Engine isn't the issue: Williams has the Mercedes power unit, so Rosberg says "there's no excuse there." He also suspects the aerodynamics are "not in the best place," meaning the team has multiple areas to fix.
• Limited upgrades: The team has focused on shedding weight in the opening rounds, with only minor performance parts brought so far. A major upgrade is due at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but Vowles has admitted it "won't put us to even the bare minimum" of where he'd like to be.
• A long road back: Rosberg noted that Williams was "moving towards the top six or top eight permanently" but has now "dropped back massively," calling it "a bit of a shocker."

What's Next:

Vowles has conceded that the mistakes made over the winter "will stay with us all the way until the end of this year." The priority is to put themselves "back above water" before shifting focus to next year's car. The Baku update may offer a small step, but Williams' fight for points is likely to remain an uphill battle for the rest of the season.