AA Premium: Williams’ roadmap to success

The new issue of Auto Action Premium is full of must-read features, including a deep dive into the rise of Williams.

The famous team is on the rise, as demonstrated by Alex Albon’s impressive Italian drive from 14th to seventh as he rises above Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli to seventh in the standings.

Team heavyweights James Vowles, Albon and Carlos Sainz explain why the future looks bright for the once powerhouse team that has until recently inhabited the rear of the grid for more than a decade.

The new team owners have made fresh investment in equipment and personal including top line drivers delivering the team results… things are starting to change for the team.

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Williams went into the summer shutdown as the clear leader in the midfield battle for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, scoring 70 points in the first 14 Grands Prix of the season. If you consider that Williams scored 77 points in total over the last six seasons, it is pretty clear that the team led by James Vowles is making massive progress. 

But an even bigger indication that things have definitively changed in Grove is that Vowles himself, as well as drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, are openly disappointed with some opportunities to score good points that were missed this year.

Of course, there is still a good chunk of racing to do this year and Williams, now putting all its efforts into the development of the 2026 car, may drop a few places in the championship. 

But regardless of the final result achieved, the traditional British team will have to look back at this year and see it as an endorsement of the rebuilding work that started early in 2023.

Vowles explains that “my goal is to make sure this team doesn’t go backwards anymore. So, if we finish fifth this year, we don’t go behind that anymore. And my goal is that I don’t have to use words anymore. You come to me and go, yeah, I can see the path and development you want. 

“You can plot it, and you can see which direction I’m travelling in. But I don’t think next year will be as good as 2014, though, because I don’t think you’ll get as big a difference between Power Units as you had back then when there was a very large difference in power units. 

“There will be, perhaps, something not to that level. But do I think that we, as Williams, can get a good enough car that we produce a sensible car for 2026? Well, the might of McLaren and Mercedes will still be there, but I think we can produce a sensible car and keep them honest.” 

Photo by Lars Baron/LAT Images

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