Williams in the News: Focus on 2026 Begins, Performance Windows and Spotlight on Saudi Arabia

Five races into the 2025 season, Atlassian Williams Racing sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship standings with 25 points – a clear sign of solid progress and consistency.

But while the present is promising, it’s the long game that continues to take centre stage at Grove. From kicking off 2026 development, to maximising our current car and driver line-up, here’s what the media have been saying this week…

Atlassian Williams Racing is thought to be the first team to switch off wind tunnel development of its 2025 machine car to fully focus on its 2026 challenger, according to The Race.

“If you want to win, there is only one way to win, and you can't get caught in the now. That's how it's been completely straightforward,” Team Principal James Vowles said.

“We were in a mess because we were short-termist all the way through the last 20 years. Some of it was financially driven, some of it driven by other elements, but you can't be in the sport – it has to be investment.

“And to be clear, investment is about five years forward to get yourself into the right position of leaping [forward].”

It’s a clear signal of intent, and a reminder to everyone on our journey that the true goal lies ahead.

On the performance front, Alex Albon has once again been impressive in 2025, but unlocking that pace hasn’t come as easy as he has made it look.

As Motorsport Week reports, the FW47 demands a specific, sometimes uncomfortable set up to hit its sweet spot.

“To be quick with this car, it needs a certain set-up, and it’s not always the most comfortable set up,” Albon said.

“It was clear there are a couple of corners on each track that we go to that we are relatively weak, compared to the midfield. It’s not that we’re… I think we’re producing good downforce, we’re just struggling with balance in a few corners.

“But to fix them means we normally have to compromise the rest of the lap, so it makes it quite a narrow window that we are in most weekends. That’s not new, and we’ve had that for many years.”

The value in having two first-class drivers was on full display in Saudi Arabia, with Autosport noting the skill set that Carlos Sainz’s has brought to Atlassian Williams Racing.

His nous helped the team pick up a combined six points at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, as he operated strategically to ensure team-mate Alex Albon couldn’t be passed by the chasing Isack Hadjar.

“The team asked me to give the DRS to Alex to make sure Hadjar didn't have a chance of passing us,” Sainz said.

“It's a tricky one because you always feel like it exposes you, especially on a high speed track where the DRS has a very big effect.

“You always get a bit nervous about it because you know from there on, you cannot put a foot wrong if you make a mistake or hit a wall or whatever.

“But in the end it worked, and I could show my pace on the last lap. I had a lot of pace, which is a really good sign.

“It's not the same when it comes as your idea, because you're 100% sure.

“When it comes from the team, you always struggle a bit more to commit to it because it doesn't come naturally for you. But I think we made the right call in the end.”