[Saba Sports News] Carlos Sainz has poured cold water on Williams Racing recently. The Spanish driver stated bluntly that the major upgrade package Williams brought to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku this September would not be enough to transform the FW48. He went as far as suggesting that instead of struggling through the remaining races of the 2026 campaign, the team should shift all development resources toward the 2027 car immediately. The comments struck a sour note, coming shortly after Williams team principal James Vowles publicly promised that Baku would feature an “almost brand-new car” with significant weight reduction. Sainz, however, holds a different view. Speaking to Spanish media during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, he held Aston Martin up as the benchmark. Aston Martin rolled out a substantial upgrade package featuring sixteen aerodynamic revisions at the Hungaroring, covering nearly everything from the front wing to the diffuser, which delivered an immediate sizable leap in competitiveness. “Aston Martin have proven that a team starting from the bottom of the aerodynamic pile can still outperform half the grid,” Sainz said. He acknowledged that with proper engineering execution, any squad is capable of a rapid turnaround under the new regulations.
Nevertheless, Sainz does not believe Williams can replicate that turnaround magic. The team based at Grove has been playing catch-up since the start of the campaign. The FW48 suffered delays in completion and severe production hold-ups, and the car arrived at circuits carrying substantial excess weight. This fundamental flaw triggered a chain of issues: persistent understeer, excessive drag and heavy tyre degradation. With just six points to his name so far, Sainz feels the deficit is simply too large to overcome.