Sainz shocked by decline, Norris supports McLaren's comeback.

      "Honestly, we have a lot of weight to lose, and that’s no secret."

      Carlos Sainz has expressed his astonishment at Williams’ significant decline in performance at the outset of the 2026 season. Having transitioned to Williams from Ferrari after 2024, the Spaniard anticipated improvements following a relatively encouraging first year, but instead, he finds himself competing at the rear of the pack.

      "Honestly, we have a lot of weight to lose, that’s no secret," Sainz shared at Suzuka. "Would a lighter car be advantageous? I believe we can improve.

      "Aside from the weight, I think this team has the capacity to design and create a much better car than what we've achieved thus far."

      The FW48 currently holds the title of the heaviest car on the grid, a situation worsened by delays in pre-season development. Sainz acknowledges the extent of the issue has caught him off guard.

      “It has been a shock for me and for the team; it’s been very challenging,” he remarked. “I sensed it could be a problem back in December and January, but it’s a significant setback, likely more than I anticipated.”

      Sainz foresees minimal improvement at Suzuka. “We were 17th in both qualifying sessions... in no man’s land. I don’t expect Suzuka to be any different,” he stated. “However, more can occur during races.”

      He believes the contentious new regulations have actually widened the gap to the front-runners. “You’d expect us to narrow the gap with the new rules, but the reality is the opposite - we’re further behind.”

      He now hopes that the upcoming April break will enable Williams to regain lost ground, especially by reducing weight and increasing downforce.

      On the other hand, McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris is also facing a challenging start to 2026, although he remains hopeful for a turnaround.

      McLaren’s issues have been even more severe, with reliability problems hindering both cars from starting in China, and teammate Oscar Piastri yet to participate in a race this season.

      "This clearly affected us as a team, and it didn’t leave a good impression having two cars unable to start the race," Norris stated.

      "We’ve worked diligently to understand the underlying causes of this issue, and we’ll certainly do everything possible to ensure it doesn’t happen again."

      Despite the setback, Norris maintains high confidence. "I have great faith in the team and believe we can have the best car this year,” he expressed. “Our primary goal is to get on the podium, and then to win races again.”

      Currently 36 points behind championship leader George Russell, Norris acknowledges that recovery will take time.

      "There’s progress, but it requires time," he noted. “We needed time to comprehend what was occurring - now we understand what went wrong, why, and how we can avert it in the future."