Carlos Sainz ended a long points drought at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the Spaniard is clear-eyed about where Williams stands. Dealing with a grid penalty in Baku, he managed to score for the first time in 10 rounds, yet he admits that Williams “need more” from their new parts if they “want to fight for points regularly”.
For most of the 2026 season, the Grove-based outfit have wrestled with an overweight machine and various performance hurdles, pushing the team to channel their resources into a substantial upgrade package brought straight to Baku. That heavy effort immediately showed promise when Sainz secured the team's first Q3 appearance of the year, though a five-place grid drop followed after he failed to slow for yellow flags.
Starting from P14 and aided by retirements up the road, Sainz fought his way to P10 to put a single point on the board for Williams. Despite the recovery and some smart management over the final 10 to 15 laps to work his way back into contention, the weekend left him with complicated feelings.
“I think [it’s] what we deserved this weekend, to get a point for the team after the effort of the upgrade and a great Qualifying yesterday,” Sainz said, highlighting the team effort before turning to his frustration over Saturday's penalty. “I’m very disappointed after what happened yesterday, the way that was managed, the way that was handled. I was very depressed, let’s say, going into today. I managed to get a point for the team which was the target.”
Looking at the potential of the new parts, which point toward a more promising direction, Sainz remains realistic about their true pace. “The reality is that to get points, we’re still going to need each other’s help or some people’s help,” he added. “I think the package is good to see, but after what I saw today, I think we’re going to need more if we want to fight for points regularly.”
On the other side of the garage, Alex Albon had a brutal afternoon that ended in the barrier. Locking up and slamming into the wall, his crash brought out a Safety Car that triggered a chaotic restart and eliminated multiple drivers.
Analyzing the mistake, Albon noted: “Unusual crash, unusual place. I’ve not fully understood – maybe I braked a little later than the last lap, had a tailwind. We don’t like that corner as well, so we generally front-lock there. My fault, but it happens.”
Despite the accident, Albon was pleased with the initial output of the upgrades—featuring a fresh floor and rear modifications—while echoing Sainz's call for more development. Pointing to specific weaknesses in the car's behavior, he stated they “probably need a bit more aero in the car,” while adding that the track otherwise suited their pace before noting that struggles in the medium-speed corners of Turn 1 and the final corner will make the rest of the year difficult.
