James Vowles issues verdict on Williams’ final ‘new car’ Azerbaijan upgrade

James Vowles has offered his initial thoughts on Williams’ latest upgrades after another difficult day at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Williams has steadily introduced upgrades throughout F1 2026 to create what team boss Vowles previously described as an “almost entirely new car”.

James Vowles confident of Williams ‘foundations’ with Baku upgrade

Williams has struggled for pace this season, and has perhaps only been shielded from increased criticism due to the under performance of Aston Martin.

Across recent races, Williams has steadily introduced new parts, with the final major package introduced on Thursday in Baku.

The largest element of this latest upgrade was a new floor with various altered elements. To complement this, the tail geometry, front corners, suspension cladding, and the rear brake duct furniture were all adapted.

However, even with the aid of the Mercedes power unit, which was run by five of the top eight runners, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz ended the day in 16th and 17th places, well over two-and-a-half seconds off the pace.

Asked by Sky Sports for an initial assessment of the upgrade, Vowles said: “[It was] a little step forward. I think it’s pretty much what we described.

“It’s a step forward, but not enough to where we need to be. It’s really close in the midfield. It’s such a tight pack out there.

“I think we’ll have to see more this weekend to really filter out where it is. Being candid, I think no one knows where they are properly at the moment unless you’re in the top four.

“But it’s directionally right. I think more importantly, it’s the foundation we wanted to set ourselves for next year.

“This is part of that learning experience. We recognise this year is a little bit behind us, unfortunately, but there’s a lot to do in going into ’27.”

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Williams had aimed to return to regular podium contention with the new regulations this year, but has fallen well short of this mark.

Last season, the team took a handful of podiums despite throttling back on development to focus on the incoming era, and openly conceded to being unsure as to why the car was producing results.

In the grand scheme of things, Williams has not been a consistent front-running team for over a decade, and has only one victory since the end of the 2004 season.

“A great season last year, and we shouldn’t take it away from ourselves,” added Vowles.

“I’m really proud of what we achieved, but 2026 is the biggest regulation change we’ve ever done in the sport, and we didn’t have the systems, tools, capability to deal with it.

“And really, we’re still paying the price now. We’re still going to pay the price into ’27. I know that sounds odd and disappointing, but such a large change and such an amount that we have to correct for it.”

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