Jolyon Palmer says Williams’ start to 2026 has gone ‘wrong across the board’ ahead of the Chinese GP

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A torrid start to the season for Williams has Jolyon Palmer calling them the biggest disappointment of the F1 season outside of Aston Martin.

After a strong end to the 2025 season, many expected Williams to build on that momentum and come into 2026 with a real competitive edge.

Instead, they endured what Carlos Sainz called a complicated winter, as the development of the car didn’t go at all the way they had hoped.

Prove us wrong – Carlos Sainz made a mistake signing for Williams over Audi

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Due to these issues, James Vowles finds himself under pressure from Williams and their investors. He won’t have long to make changes and get the team competitive again.

However, if Jolyon Palmer is to be believed, he might not have long to get Williams back on track, as they’ve had the worst start of any F1 team not named Aston Martin this season.

READ MORE: Guenther Steiner doubles down on Carlos Sainz making a mistake joining Williams over F1 rivals

Jolyon Palmer says Williams’ season won’t get any easier amid several issues

Jolyon Palmer spoke on the F1 Weekend Warmup show about the state Williams find themselves in at the start of the season.

Palmer believes Williams have faced several problems coming into the season, and things are not going to get much better for them through the course of the season, especially not in Shanghai due to the tricky track circumstances, particularly for them.

“It was going wrong across the board. I think weight is the thing we’ve spoken about already at length.

“There’s a lot of things that are not working properly on that car. They don’t have downforce. The weight is an issue. Procedurally there’s a few things that are not tidy, and then, Carlos had reliability (issues) as well.

“For me, I think they’re the biggest disappointment. You have to park Aston Martin because they’re going to be the biggest disappointment for a very long time.”

“Williams, with all their hopes, and I don’t think it’s going to get easier this weekend. It’s a difficult circuit, it’s front limited and that hasn’t always suited their car either.”

READ MORE: Carlos Sainz’s points claim shows how far Williams have fallen behind their rivals

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Williams find themselves in a very difficult situation this season

Williams’ myriad of issues to start the season have created a tense environment surrounding the team, and emphasised the need for imminent success.

In an effort to justify their concerns, Williams complained about the Mercedes power unit, and how little information they have to go on.

In response, Mercedes said they can’t please all customers, suggesting that Williams will have to sort out their issues on their own time.

The knowledge gap that Williams find themselves facing with regards to the power unit has also created issues for them with the overall car construction.

It’s hard to see Williams overcoming all of these issues early in the season. Expect Williams to focus mostly on the second half of the season to find success on the track.