Racing: cars and motorcycles

Williams team principal James Vowles said he warned Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon before the 2026 Formula 1 season that the team’s car would be heavy and that the opening months could be difficult. Speaking on the official Beyond the Grid podcast, Vowles praised both drivers for offering support after hearing the news. Formula 1 published its account of the interview on October 7, 2026. Vowles said his first call to the drivers came around December. He told them Williams was in trouble and that he was unsure how the problems would affect the Barcelona shakedown, adding that the car would be heavy. He said he spoke to them again in January. By then, Williams had missed the Barcelona shakedown, and the FW48’s weight and performance had emerged as concerns. The car used a Mercedes power unit. According to Vowles, Albon quickly offered his support and asked how he could help. Sainz asked more questions about the situation before also offering help. Vowles said Sainz and Albon travelled to the UK soon afterwards to be with the team. He described their presence as important to the organisation during a difficult period. He also pointed to their support during the August break, saying both drivers believed in the team’s work and wanted to be part of it over the longer term. These were Vowles’s reflections in the podcast interview, rather than a report of a race result. Formula 1’s October 7 report said Williams had scored 12 points so far in the 2026 campaign, with P8 as its best result and P9 in the teams’ standings. Those figures were reported as the team’s position at that time, not as final season standings. Vowles had said publicly midway through the 2025 campaign that Williams had shifted its focus to the 2026 challenger. The subsequent car difficulties made the season a test for the team, while he credited Sainz and Albon with helping maintain its resolve. The account is based on James Vowles’s interview on Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast and the Formula 1 article published October 7, 2026.