Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz reveals what Williams Racing needs to become competitive in 2026

14:15, 08 Aug

bySamson Ero

Carlos Sainz has identified what the Williams Racing team needs to change to become more competitive for the 2026 season. The Spanish driver who endured a forgettable outing at the Hungarian Grand Prix stressed the need for a philosophy change at the Grove-based outfit.

The 30-year-old, who joined Williams following his exit from Scuderia Ferrari, reflected on the team’s struggles at tracks with long corners and shorter straights. Sainz detailed how it was one of the expectations for the team, given the characteristics of the FW47 car.

Sharing his thoughts with the media, including GPblog, the four-time Grand Prix winner also highlighted how the team’s poor aero dynamics characteristics have largely compounded its performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

“Well, we have relatively poor aero characteristics in long corners where you need to hold the downforce from entry to mid-corner. We struggle with these kinds of things. It's been a trend for a very long time. That's why long straights and sharp short corners are good for the team. But at the moment we get into a long combined corners of Barcelona's, Hungary's, Qatar's.”

Carlos Sainz speaks on the changes Williams Racing needs to make for 2026

However, Carlos Sainz also suggested what he believes would solve the team’s long cornering problems, particularly with the 2026 regulation changes in sight.

“The car struggles, but it needs a very big re-philosophy change and design philosophy change for the future. We're trying to understand where and what to change to make sure that next year's car is a bit more of an old-rounder and gives us a better platform to work in multiple tracks.”

The Budapest race witnessed both Sainz and teammate Alex Albon finish in 14th and 15th, respectively. The result mirrors the Williams team outing from the Spanish Grand Prix - a circuit with characteristics that also do not suit the Williams car.