Here's the thing about a difficult racing season: sometimes you have to roll the dice completely. For Williams, that moment has arrived in Baku with a major new upgrade package, though Team Principal James Vowles was refreshingly clear-eyed about what it actually achieves. Calling it a "step in the right direction, but not enough," Vowles laid bare the reality of a painful campaign that has seen the Grove-based outfit hampered by an overweight machine and development delays that even forced them to miss the Barcelona Shakedown.
Despite those early hurdles, drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon managed to put 11 points on the board early on, though they have failed to score anything since Monaco. The solution? A massive gamble that the team has been building toward for months, featuring a revised and lighter chassis alongside a new aero package. Vowles explained that while they hope for improvements now, the package is heavily focused on the long term. "It's more about building for next year and beyond," Vowles told F1 TV. "It's not where I would ever want it to be, or the drivers want it to be, but it is still fantastic work by the team to really redevelop an entirely new chassis in-season."
but it's not enough to be far enough ahead to guarantee points.
The first run-out for the FW48 came during FP1, and it wasn't entirely smooth sailing. Sainz finished the session in 12th and Albon in 13th—two tenths off the top 10—while the Spaniard also suffered a fiery brake drama in the pit lane just 15 minutes into the session. Vowles noted that the drivers remain cautious, stating, "There's pride, because it's been a difficult, difficult start to the year and we're starting to get our head above water. But we've got two hungry drivers and a hungry team that want so much more."
Things shifted slightly in FP2 as Albon and Sainz landed 16th and 17th respectively. A lack of running meant a disrupted day, leaving the squad relying heavily on FP3 to properly evaluate the new parts. Sainz felt positive despite the limited mileage. "In general I feel a bit better with the car, and it seems like we are a bit closer to the midfield," Sainz said. "The laps that I've done have been relatively competitive, given how important track time is here, and normally you always feel like you're playing catch-up."
Behind the scenes, shedding the kilograms on the chassis was no small feat, requiring brutal FIA tests that the team managed to pass. Vowles kept quiet on the exact techniques used to strip the weight, only guaranteeing it was a method not being replicated up and down the pit lane. However, he admitted he felt relieved by the effort.
Ultimately, the team isn't interested in just scrambling for a position or two in the championship this year. Vowles remained cautious about points in Baku, noting that running a brand new aero package means engineers are deep in the details and rarely get the balance and ride height entirely right on the first attempt. "Let's see," Vowles said, "but it's not enough to be far enough ahead to guarantee points."
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