Williams' Baku Upgrades: Sainz and Albon Call for More
Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon weigh in on Williams' new upgrades after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. They both see potential but agree more improvements are needed.
Williams rolled out a significant upgrade package at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon have shared their thoughts on its debut performance. Sainz, who managed to score for the first time in 10 rounds despite a grid penalty, feels the upgrades show promise but insists that more is needed for Williams to consistently fight for points.
The outfit from Grove has struggled this season with an overweight car and other performance woes, prompting the decision to focus resources on a substantial upgrade. The immediate impact was visible as Sainz made his first Q3 appearance of the year, though he was later handed a five-place grid penalty for not slowing under yellow flags. With some help from retirements ahead of him, Sainz climbed from P14 to P10, earning a point but leaving him with mixed feelings.
"I think we deserved a point this weekend after the team's effort with the upgrade," said Sainz. "Good management in the last 10-15 laps got me back into contention."
However, the Spaniard remains cautious. "The package is promising, but to regularly score points, we'll need more help—either from each other or the circumstances," he added.
Alex Albon, meanwhile, endured a race to forget in Baku after locking up and crashing into the wall, which triggered a Safety Car phase that led to further on-track drama. Reflecting on the incident, Albon noted, "It was an unusual crash in an unusual place. I may have braked a little too late, but it happens."
Despite his mishap, Albon was optimistic about the upgrades, which included a new floor and rear adjustments. "The car wasn't bad, and the track suited us," he said. "But we probably need a bit more aero to make the most of it."
Both drivers agree that while the upgrades are a step in the right direction, more refinement is necessary if Williams wants to climb up the grid consistently. Albon pointed out that their pace was decent overall, but their performance in medium-speed corners left room for improvement. "Those corners are going to make the rest of the year challenging," he observed.
For Williams, the challenge remains to extract more from their upgraded package, ensuring that the team can fight for points more consistently in the races to come.