Carlos Sainz sets sights on Alpine after ‘delayed’ Williams upgrade arrives

Carlos Sainz has warned that Alpine remains “clearly” ahead of Williams despite the team’s improved performance at the recent Miami Grand Prix. The Spaniard revealed that the upgrade package Williams brought to Florida was originally scheduled for the season opener in Australia two months ago.

Why it matters:

After a promising 2025 campaign that yielded two podiums and fifth in the constructors’ championship, Williams has struggled to carry that momentum into 2026. Development delays on the FW48 left the team scoring just two points in the first three races, and the Miami upgrade – though welcome – has only closed part of the gap to the upper midfield.

The details:

• Sainz and teammate Alex Albon finished ninth and tenth in Miami, putting both cars in the points for the first time this season.
• However, Sainz finished nearly 20 seconds behind Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who was sixth. Without safety car laps, the gap would have been 25–30 seconds.
• “We finally put on the upgrade that was supposed to come to race one,” Sainz said. “Now it’s performing at least at the level of the midfield cars.”
• The car still carries significant overweight issues, limiting setup flexibility.
• Sainz noted that Williams beat Haas, VCARBs, and Audis on merit in Miami – a step forward from being half a second off in race pace just a race ago.
• On the deficit to frontrunners: Sainz finished 82 seconds behind winner Kimi Antonelli, but downplayed the raw number due to safety car laps.

What's next:

Sainz expects a “proper turnaround” won’t happen until the final third of the season. “We have a few bits and pieces coming for the next couple of races,” he said, adding that the team must use the Miami package as a new baseline and continue pushing. Patience will be key as Williams works to close the gap to Alpine and move out of “no-man’s land.”