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A new set of F1 regulations offers the opportunity for struggling teams to climb back up the pecking order, but Carlos Sainz has explained why that isn’t always the case for the outfits that have fewer resources.
Following Williams’ best season in F1 for nearly ten years last season, fans were excited to see how the Grove-based outfit could build on their successes and break into the top four teams on the grid.
However, the excitement quickly turned into frustration after Williams faced development delays that saw them miss the entirety of the inaugural shakedown of the 2026 challengers in Barcelona.
Their status as a Mercedes-powered customer team helped them to claw their way back into things once Williams arrived in Bahrain for the start of pre-season testing, but Carlos Sainz has explained why they are still far from the level of the frontrunners.
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Carlos Sainz admits that Williams are still ‘far from the level’ of F1 rivals when it comes to development
During an interview with Sky Sports Italy during the second day of testing in Bahrain, Sainz was asked about how much of an uphill battle it has been for Williams to be competitive despite the setbacks in pre-season.
He replied, “It has been a very tough winter for the team. I think that until last year, the whole world was very optimistic.
“We thought we were on the right track, but this winter has taught us that we are still far away, not just Williams, when you look at all the other six teams that are not the four top teams, we are still far from the level they can develop and produce new cars with a regulation change like there is this year.
“All of us who are not top teams. The only thing we can do is learn from this lesson that the winter of ’26 has given us.
“To see how we can become a top team. Because the regulation change exposes you to seeing all your limitations.”
Sainz previously detailed how he didn’t want a regulations change for 2026, citing his ongoing adaptation to Williams machinery as his reason.
The Spaniard secured two podiums for the British constructor during his maiden campaign at Grove, and the trajectory that Williams were on indicated that they could have been a real threat if the previous ruleset was still in effect this year.
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Carlos Sainz also noted how Williams needs to start making ‘lighter cars’ to close the gap to their F1 rivals
In the midst of the first week of testing in Bahrain, it emerged that Williams were facing a £500k bill to fix their weight issues with the FW48.
This is something that Sainz raised during his interview with the Italian broadcasters, highlighting how they must get better at producing cars that are at an optimal weight.
He added, “We’re not as good at developing the car as the top four teams that had less time; they were struggling for the championship last year, so it’s a lesson for the team to see how far ahead the teams in front are.
“We also need to learn to make lighter cars, but I think we’ve already understood that this year, and I think the team will already be ready to produce lighter cars by next year.”
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