Williams shifts focus to 2027 as Albon doubts Baku fix for 2026 woes

Alex Albon says Williams is effectively writing off the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with the team’s full attention now turning to a competitive car for 2027. After a promising 2025 campaign brought multiple podiums, the Grove outfit has collapsed to ninth with just 11 points and no scores since June’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Why it matters:

Williams' fall from podium regular to backmarker marks one of the sharpest reversals in recent F1 history. The team’s failure to master the 2026 regulations has squandered Albon’s talents and threatens to destabilize a squad that looked headed upward under James Vowles.

The details:

• The FW48’s troubles trace back to January, when Williams skipped the Barcelona pre-season shakedown due to production delays. That slow start snowballed into an overweight, aerodynamically unstable machine.
• At the Hungaroring, both Albon and Carlos Sainz were eliminated in Q1, finishing 17th and 18th behind upgraded Audis and Aston Martins. Albon said he had to “under-drive” constantly to manage gusts, wind sensitivity and three-wheeling, enjoying only six laps of clean rhythm all race.
• Team boss James Vowles has billed the Baku upgrade as “almost an entirely new car,” but Albon is skeptical. He noted the package was planned long ago and is unlikely to fix the genetic issues plaguing the current design.
• With no points since June, the squad is now prioritizing next season’s chassis to ensure the same flaws do not carry over.

What's next:

The Baku update in September may offer minor relief, but Albon makes clear that no summer upgrade will transform this season. Factory resources are being diverted to the 2027 project in the hope of wiping the slate clean and giving Williams a car worthy of the driver’s full ability.