Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Williams must react to their miserable start to the 2026 F1 season under team boss James Vowles by exploring a move for Christian Horner, or risk Carlos Sainz leaving.
The Grove squad were one of the first teams to fully commit their operations to the 2026 F1 regulations, believing that the biggest regulatory overhaul in the championship’s history was their best route to joining the top teams. But Williams have fallen miles short of their hopes.
Alex Albon described Williams’ situation as “painful” after the Australian Grand Prix, after he came home in P12 and Sainz only sealed P15 out of the 16 drivers classified last Sunday. The Chinese Grand Prix has not started much better for the Williams racers this weekend, either.
Sainz will start the F1 Sprint in Shanghai from P17 on the grid this Saturday, while Albon will start P18. Only the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll plus Cadillac pilot Valtteri Bottas were slower than the two Williams stars, with Sergio Perez not setting a time.
Mercedes boast a 0.621s lead over McLaren atop the SQ3 timesheets after Sprint Qualifying in China
Who was your star of Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai?
James Vowles is under pressure after Williams’ painful start to the 2026 F1 season
A mixture of the FW48 being overweight and lacking downforce has seen Williams start the 2026 F1 season at the rear of the field, despite Vowles betting on the new rules. Such is the situation that Sainz claims Williams will only get points through their rivals’ misfortune, too.
READ MORE: The best moments of Carlos Sainz’s career in Formula 1
It is even said that Vowles is under pressure to save his job at Williams, after the Grove crew also had to sit out the Barcelona shakedown in January owing to delays with the build of the FW48. And with Horner still on the market, Williams need to act before a rival team swoops.
Horner has been linked with most teams in the paddock since Red Bull relieved the Briton of his roles as their F1 CEO and team principal last July. The 52-year-old officially left Red Bull in September, after the two parties agreed to reduce his gardening leave through April 2026.
Flavio Briatore recently confirmed that Horner is interested in buying a 24% stake in Alpine, which Otro Capital currently controls. But with Mercedes now interested in the shares, it is said that Horner’s most likely destination is Aston Martin amid their troubled start to 2026.
Williams appointing Christian Horner could convince Carlos Sainz to stay at the team
Who is the best person to run Alpine in Formula 1: Christian Horner, Toto Wolff or Flavio Briatore?
Williams need to explore rivalling Aston Martin and Alpine for Horner’s services after their painful start to 2026, otherwise they will risk seeing Sainz leave at the end of this year. The 31-year-old joined Williams in 2025 following his release by Ferrari on a two-year contract.
Sainz rejected interest from Alpine and Audi to join Williams as he believed in the promises that Vowles made about their 2026 F1 car project. But he is not seeing results, and will not stick around beyond his initial contract if Williams fail to show him genuine progress soon.
Williams have now given Vowles three years to develop their operations since taking charge in January 2023. Vowles has strived to improve Williams’ infrastructure over the past three years, but a figure like Horner, who led Red Bull for 20 years, might be who they now need.
Horner, who oversaw eight drivers’ championship and six constructors’ championship titles at Red Bull, has an affection for Sainz, too. When questions surrounded Perez’s future back in 2024, Horner wanted Red Bull to sign Sainz before they ultimately favoured Liam Lawson.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
