Williams reduces weight while Sainz downplays rule changes.

      "The positive aspect is that we've managed to bounce back."

      Williams has made progress in Miami following a challenging start to 2026, with a significant portion of its upgrades aimed primarily at weight reduction. Driver Carlos Sainz noted that the car is now more competitive than it was prior to the April break. "The positive aspect is that we've managed to bounce back," he stated. "We were quicker than the Haas cars, which we weren't five weeks ago, so that's encouraging."

      Nevertheless, as a GPDA director, Sainz downplayed the effects of the recent regulatory adjustments, which were partly intended to address the concerns of the increasingly vocal driver community. "Very little has changed. We anticipated that not much would be altered," he commented. "We'll have to wait until later in the season, or even until next year, for the FIA and the teams to be bold enough to implement more significant changes."

      Much of Williams' advancement has been attributed to a substantial weight reduction initiative behind the scenes. Team principal James Vowles disclosed the extent of this effort. "The engineering work done at the factory has eliminated all excess weight from the car, plus an additional 10 kilos," he explained. "That engineering work has been finalized but hasn't yet been implemented on the car, as it’s no longer efficient to do so under the current cost cap."

      Instead, the enhancements will be rolled out gradually. "Regarding the weight, we've seen a couple of kilos reduced in Miami, and we anticipate a similar decrease at each race going forward," Vowles clarified. "It's important to be cautious when introducing a product to the track that is nearly out of production."

      "What brings me satisfaction is that it has already been demonstrated that we can design the car to the appropriate level to achieve the ideal weight," he added. "That's our goal, but production will take some time." He even humorously referenced the weight savings by rubbing his stomach when discussing the "couple of kilos" lost in Miami.