Carlos Sainz has revealed that he could “smell” the problems Williams is now facing as early as the end of 2025, admitting the process has been “a shock” for him and the whole team.
The Grove-based squad entered 2026 off the back of one of its best seasons in years, finishing fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, aided by Sainz’s podiums in Azerbaijan and Qatar.
Its season exceeded the expectations of everyone within its ranks, including Sainz, who prepared himself for a long process to get the team back to good form upon signing from Ferrari.
But 2026, with the introduction of the new technical regulations, has brought a set of fresh challenges for the team, most notably the weight of the FW48.
Facing the reality that car was way heavier than those of its rivals, Williams opted to miss the ‘shakedown week’ in Barcelona, choosing to complete its own before heading to Bahrain for official testing.
And despite getting the team on the board with ninth in China, the team is still lagging behind in the midfield, having headed it in 2025.
After the Japanese Grand Prix, Sainz revealed the extent of the surprise the issue has caused the team, but confessed he had a feeling something was afoot before the year was out.
“For sure, it’s been a shock for me, for the team, for James [Vowles, Team Principal], for Alex [Albon], for all the engineers,” the Spaniard said.
“I think it’s no secret that it’s been tough, and I could already smell it coming in December, January.
“I started bracing for the bump, because we already started having these conversations of delays; not arriving at that first test, starting here in the overweight numbers.”
Carlos Sainz ready to face the bump ‘bigger’ than Williams expected
Sainz continued that he was always prepared to face issues, but also admitted that the “bump” the team must overcome is a larger one than it initially realised.
“I said it doesn’t look very promising to start, but, for me, like I said from the beginning of the bump, I knew at some point Williams was going to hit a bump,” he said.
“Not all the roads to success are linear. There was always going to be a bump. This bump is big, probably even bigger than what I expected.”
A great number of cars on the grid this year have some problem with their cars, and Williams’ is one of the biggest. Quite literally, given the weight issue.
There is belief, however, that if that can be rectified, then the potential the car has in other areas will lead to better results down the road.
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