Jolyon Palmer says Alex Albon’s Williams looked like an ‘absolute dog’ from trackside in F1 testing

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Jolyon Palmer described Williams’ 2026 Formula 1 car as an ‘absolute dog’ after watching Alex Albon during the first morning of Bahrain testing.

After the Barcelona shakedown and the first three days of running Bahrain, all 11 F1 teams only have three days of testing left to fix any issues and perfect their cars before the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

Williams had the slowest start to 2026 of any team after failing to make it to the Circuit de Catalunya at the end of January.

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However, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz did plenty of running during the first week of testing in Bahrain, completing as many laps as McLaren over all three days.

Williams are facing issues reaching the minimum weight limit, but appear to be a step ahead of the likes of newcomers Cadillac and Aston Martin.

However, Jolyon Palmer was watching on the first morning of testing from the inside of turn four, and wasn’t particularly encouraged by what he saw from the FW48.

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

Jolyon Palmer noticed ‘nasty’ Williams traits in F1 testing while Alex Albon was driving

Sky Sports cut to Palmer during the first hour of testing (18/2 7:48 am), and reflecting on what he saw, the former Renault driver explained: “Let’s have a look at Charles Leclerc then, because I think the Ferrari looks really impressive here.

“We can see him coming in towards turn four, barrelling in speed, and then you can see it getting a little bit light on the exit as he heads up towards turns five, six, and then seven.

“This is my first experience watching these new cars out on track. I mean, some of them look quite tricky.

“The Williams, Albon just came through, and it looked like an absolute dog on the entry, nearly had a full spin of the car on the way into the apex.

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“I’m enjoying the nimbleness of the cars. They look lighter on the front end, the way that they’re now going away from this understeer.

“And we’re going to have a look at Arvid Lindblad coming through. Let’s see if we can see the same thing. Racing Bulls, in towards an apex, picks it up neatly.

“Now the key to the exit is even more in the last few years. Get that car straight, because as soon as you hit 65% throttle, you get a massive whack as the MGU-K kicks in on the rear and you get all that electrical power.

“Albon, having had that massive snap on the last lap, has a bit of a breather and tries to get some energy back in the battery and probably cool those tyres down as well, because the way that Williams has been handling has been pretty nasty.

“I saw the Aston Martin out there doing many continuous laps. It did look a little bit like he was having to harvest energy towards the braking zone at Turn four, didn’t look like it was absolutely flat to the braking point.”

READ MORE: Williams star Alex Albon’s life outside F1 with net worth, girlfriend to parents

Williams already planning to remove weight from the car ahead of the Australian Grand Prix

Williams team principal James Vowles admitted that the team tackled more than they could handle with their 2026 car, despite all but abandoning last season to concentrate on the upcoming regulations.

Although the official fact sheet for Williams’ car suggested it was at the minimum weight when they launched the FW48, the team have since admitted that’s not the case.

Williams are already planning to reach the weight limit, and with one of the strongest power units in the back of the car, they should be targeting moving from F1’s midfield into the top tier of manufacturers.

That’s going to be easier said than done, with the four teams who were out in front last season already looking like they have a significant advantage this year.

Williams are still a long way off Red Bull and Max Verstappen, but will be hoping that after a slow start to 2026, they can quickly make up ground as the campaign goes on.