James Vowles reveals the ‘brilliant thing’ about working with Carlos Sainz amid Williams’ issues

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James Vowles has revealed the ‘brilliant thing’ about working with Carlos Sainz amid Williams’ ongoing issues. 

It has been a tough start to the 2026 Formula 1 season for Williams, especially after a promising 2025, when they managed two podium finishes. 

Williams’ challenger for 2026, the FW48, has been problematic, with the main concern being the fact that it is overweight compared to their rivals.

After four races, Williams have only managed to score five points, putting them eighth in the standings, nine points behind seventh-placed Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.

This weekend, Williams are hoping for a much improved performance as the season continues with the Canadian Grand Prix.

During the only practice session of the weekend, Alex Albon crashed after hitting an animal, while Sainz finished in 15th place.

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James Vowles reveals the ‘brilliant thing’ about Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon amid Williams’ issues

Speaking after the session, Vowles was asked about how he keeps his drivers motivated amid the team’s troubles. 

In response, Vowles praised both Albon and Sainz, revealing the ‘brilliant thing’ about working with the pair.

Vowles said on Sky Sports F1: “So, the brilliant thing with this level of driver is that motivation is not something I have to help with. They wake up in the morning, want to come here and deliver everything you can. You have to reset. Where are we? Where are we going?

“The biggest thing that I’ve been doing with Alex and Carlos is making sure they’re aware of exactly everything that we are changing within the team, adapting within the team, bringing performance-wise here, and what the next six months look like and how they can help.”

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher says Alex Albon must ‘urgently’ improve as he’s sure Williams are looking at drivers

James Vowles says Williams have been ‘aggressive’ to make FW48 lighter

When asked about Williams‘ weight issues, Vowles was clear with his response, stating an aggressive plan has been put in place to make the car lighter.

Vowles added: “We were pretty aggressive on the amount of weight that we’re throwing away from the car, and the team has done a really excellent job.

“It was a poor winter, there’s no doubt about it. What I determine and adjudicate us by is how we pull together and recover from that.

“Here again this weekend, we’ve taken quite a bit of weight off the car so a big transformative item, but not just that. 

“We’ve brought performance in suspension, for example, upgrades, and also performance in exhaust blowing. It’s definitely a part of our programme, but it won’t disappear until after the August break.”