Vaulz: When the regulations change, all weaknesses become apparent.

      Compared to the previous season, Williams is not doing well in 2026: while last year the car allowed Carlos Sainz to reach the podium a couple of times, this year he has only managed to score points in three races during the first half of the championship.

      A lot has been said about the problems of the Grove team this year, but its leader James Vowles believes that this rather unpleasant experience is important in its own way.

      "We needed to go through this," he said in an interview with the official championship website. "For three years in a row, I have said that we are not at the level to fight for wins in the championship, and I will repeat that now. I would like us to reach that level, but we are not there yet.

      When there is a change in regulations, all weaknesses immediately become apparent. To keep up when the rules of the game change, for example, when a new regulation comes into force, we need to build both the team and its support system, streamline all processes, and develop our production capabilities.

      I was surprised at how much we have dropped off, but that is a fact. The role of management is to analyze everything, find solutions to problems, and move forward – it’s that simple. And I am confident that, as last year, you will see that we will take a step forward. I have no doubt about that.

      But I have learned this lesson: some things take longer than I would like… Sometimes it’s useful to take a hit – not literally, of course. It helps to understand how quickly you adapt to changes.

      We are not the only team in a difficult position. If you read some comments, there is a group of four top teams that have all the necessary systems and structures, and then there are all the others.

      The transition to budget caps is the best thing that has ever happened in Formula 1, but because of this, some of our weaknesses have become somewhat preserved, and we have to make special efforts to deal with them while continuing to build and upgrade race cars…

      We have made a number of bold decisions regarding some of our systems that simply did not work. Moreover, we have to deal with this during the season. I assure you, no other team in the championship is doing this. We are also trying to create a completely new chassis in the middle of the year. This used to be a normal occurrence, but not now. And it is a very complex task… But I always knew that we would have successes and failures, but the goals remain unchanged.

      I am proud of how the team responds to all the challenges. We will cope and return to our previous level. Undoubtedly, our drivers are having a tough time, but they also want to contribute to the common cause, to make the team better, and for us to go faster.

      Many of the changes we are making are aimed at next year. Work on preparing for 2027 is already underway because it’s time to start now… This year we are identifying the shortcomings of the car that affect handling and fixing them to create a more effective platform for the future. Then we can expect higher results…

      Much of what we are doing now defines the right direction for development. And although not all of these decisions will immediately increase the speed of the car, we are working on structural changes and focusing on new methods of operation that promise a lot of interesting things in the future."