Despite securing its driver line-up, Williams Team Principal James Vowles revealed he was “concerned” by the possibility of losing both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz to another Formula 1 team.
Ahead of F1’s return to racing at the Dutch Grand Prix, Williams announced an unchanged driver line-up for the coming seasons. Both Albon and Sainz signed multi-year contract extensions, securing their futures in the series.
Vowles explained that resigning the pair was a no-brainer. However, he worried about interest from other teams that could pull them away.
“[I was] concerned about losing both,” Vowles told media, including Motorsport Week, at Zandvoort.
“Because they are World Championship-material drivers that deserve the opportunity to be fighting for podiums or more. And we haven’t delivered that.”
Last season, the Grove-based outfit had an impressive campaign. The team that finished ninth in the 2024 Constructors’ Standings became the ‘best of the rest,’ finishing fifth. Impressively, they had secured two podium finishes for new recruit Sainz.
However, 2026 has been far from a continuation of their fairy tale. Williams find themselves back in ninth, with only 11 points.
Despite the step back from last season’s sublime form, Vowles believes the team is moving in the right direction.
“… Over the last few years, we’ve been slowly stepping forward, with last year being a blip. I think [it was] too positive from where we were, but a step in the right direction,” he explained.
The Briton emphasised his gratitude for both drivers’ loyalty to the team, even in the tough conditions.
“So for us to move backwards isn’t just a surprise to the drivers, it’s a surprise to everyone else, and that will always create risk that you lose them.
“What I’m thankful for is, the moment we had problems, they stood by our side.”
A much needed boost for Williams
Whilst the 2026 season has been difficult for Williams, Vowles revealed that morale within the team has continued to be high. Particularly, the Briton pointed to the lack of blame within the Grove-based team. Instead, both Albon and Sainz were eager to find ways to help the team develop and improve on their current position, even offering inspirational speeches to the factory after their contract extensions.
“There wasn’t finger-pointing; it was actually, ‘tell me what I can do’, and they both came into the factory, spoke to the whole organisation and gave them a lift. Carlos did the same and Alex did the same this week once they re-signed,” Vowles explained.
“They wanted to make sure that they were here with the team. They want this to be a part of them, that is here on a turnaround of this organisation, and I’m thankful for that.
Williams may not be in the ideal position to provide either driver with a Championship win. But the 47-year-old believes the renewed faith from its drivers suggests a positive sign for seasons to come.
“But it’s also an indication of what we’ve shown them in the back end of what’s happened and what we’re doing about it,” he said.
Positive changes incoming
Vowles highlighted that while the general public knows very little about the inner workings of F1 teams throughout the grid, a lot can be revealed through their driver line-ups. Suggesting that retaining Williams’ current line-up was “incredibly important” to him.
“I can’t tell you everything that’s going on behind the scenes, but I can tell them, if they [the drivers] are re-signing, it will give you an indication that there’s a lot of change ongoing and they believe in what the future looks like.”
Vowles continued: “And that belief is incredibly important, whether it’s for team members or for anyone in the outside world,” Vowles continued.
He emphasised that consistency is key in this sport. If a driver line-up were to shift after just two seasons, it would be difficult for Williams to continue its development with such uncertainty. Thus, the continuation of both Albon and Sainz creates a sense of stability and security for the foreseeable future.
“Number two, that consistency is important because the team is really maturing and changing and, as much as you can keep consistent, especially in a driver line-up, it becomes desperately important in order to keep building on that.
“Probably the best way to summarise it to you is [that in] the factory, there’s a weight lifted off it this week as the result of it and I’ve seen them move forward at a much faster pace as a result, so the belief is real and tangible.”
Williams head into the Italian Grand Prix, in desperate search of a points finish. The team will be hoping that the finalisation of its drivers’ futures provides a major result to boost their mid-field battle hopes.
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