Nigel Mansell tells Williams what they must do to ‘bounce back’ amid recent poor form

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Williams established themselves as a strong contender in the midfield at the start of the 2025 season, but the team’s form has slumped in recent weeks.

Team principal James Vowles is solely focusing on 2026 and the new technical regulations, abandoning all development on the FW47. He sees it as an opportunity to move up the pecking order with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz on board.

But Williams looked to have found improvements in 2025, despite limiting upgrades to the car. Albon and Sainz were regularly making it to Q3 in the opening races, with the former breaking into the top five on three occasions this season.

Their results have put them fifth in the constructors’ championship with 59 points, having scored just 17 last season. Vowles has noticed a ‘palpable’ change behind the scenes, with Williams’ new funding and technical expertise from Albon and Sainz giving them a huge boost.

F1 fans think Vowles can deliver titles at Williams after recently signing a new long-term contract. The future is exciting at Grove, but it is clear that they have a long way to go before they can compete at the front, as evidenced by their recent form.

Nigel Mansell says Williams must be ‘on it’ every weekend to ‘bounce back’ from their poor run of form

Albon feared a ‘disaster’ at the British GP if Williams continued to overload their engine. The Thai driver did come home to score points in eighth, but it was the team’s biggest points haul since the Emilia Romagna GP.

Williams have scored the fewest points of any team over the last five races. With Sauber scoring a podium through Nico Hulkenberg, the rest of the midfield are beginning to pile the pressure on the Grove outfit.

Speaking to Sky Sports at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 1992 F1 champion Nigel Mansell has told Williams they must be ‘on it’ every weekend to improve their form. He says there is ‘no reason’ why the team should not ‘bounce back’.

“It’s no reason that they shouldn’t bounce back now. They’ve got the funding and, you know, the leadership’s there.

“They’ve had a couple of bad races again, but they’ve got the turn of speed. It’s just a question of being on it every weekend and it’s a 24-race programme and you can’t make any slip-ups.

“It’s so easy to make a mistake and there’s a few teams that do.”

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

Is Carlos Sainz growing frustrated at Williams?

Williams have the project in place to be competitive come the new regulations in 2026. While Vowles disagrees with George Russell that they will be ‘the team to beat’ next season, he is hopeful that they will rise up the pecking order.

Albon and Sainz are signed to long-term contracts, with the team having two experienced drivers to lead the team forward. Albon turned down ‘very good offers’ to leave Williams, says Jenson Button, as did Sainz, but the Spaniard has had a hard time adapting to his new surroundings.

Sainz is missing fighting for pole positions as he compares his time at Ferrari to Williams. He knew that he would have to struggle temporarily at the back of the grid before his new team made progress.

But Guenther Steiner thinks Sainz is regretting not joining Sauber, with the 30-year-old having been linked to the Audi project for 2026. Following their podium at Silverstone, they are beginning to make strides forward that have the edge over Williams.