James Vowles explained the reasons for Williams' problems.

      The problems that the Williams team is facing this year, which are significantly hindering them, are well known. As their leader James Vowles admits, "We prepared the car late, it was too heavy, and we went over budget. Therefore, we were unable to achieve the level of results we were hoping for..."

      The question is: why did everything go wrong? After all, in the 2025 season, the team finished 5th in the Constructors' Championship, partly thanks to Carlos Sainz stepping onto the podium twice. Now they have slipped to 9th place, trailing Haas and Audi and only ahead of clear outsiders.

      "What let us down was this: last year we believed we had created a car that was below the weight limit, and that doesn’t happen by accident," Vowles told The Race in an interview. "We believed that the car was so efficient and robust that we could reproduce those qualities when we transitioned to the new technical regulations. But we failed to do that, so it’s simple."

      Only in 2023, when Vowles became the team leader from Grove, did they begin modernizing all working and production processes, and under stable regulations, everything was going well, but the situation changed when Formula 1 transitioned to new generation technology. When the regulations are stable, the team does not undergo stress testing, and some lag in technological equipment does not have a significant impact – but that was only until 2026.

      "For 20 years, Williams has not received the necessary investments. If you compare this to my previous workplace, the difference amounts to hundreds of millions," Vowles explained.

      The Williams constructors still do not have the advanced computer modeling technologies that top teams use, and the consequences of this have proven too serious. The Williams specialists chose far from the best concept, betting on a chassis with a high rake (i.e., a significant angle of the car's longitudinal tilt to the track) – by the way, Aston Martin made the same mistake.

      "At first, this didn’t seem like a serious problem, although in terms of aerodynamics, it was a fundamental mistake," the team leader continued. "Because of this, our developments related to the car's floor clearly fall short of the required level. Because of this, we lost not weeks, but months...

      Under no circumstances could we compete for victories in 2026. It’s simply impossible if the team has been poorly funded for the previous 20 years... Therefore, when the pressure increases, we are unable to reach the level we are capable of, and I know that. But the projects we are currently working on will allow us to change our mindset and rise to higher positions in the championship. It’s just that they are not fully realized yet, and this work is not progressing quickly enough, although its pace should be accelerated."

      The harsh lessons learned in 2026 have indeed shown that the reform process that James Vowles is conducting at Williams is still far from complete. If there is any positive aspect, it is that the current problems have become a kind of catalyst for change, and now, according to the team leader, they are already living and working "in a completely different world."

      To what extent they are succeeding will become clearer at the Azerbaijan stage of the season at the end of September, as Williams will bring a significantly updated chassis to Baku.