It's no overstatement that Williams's start to 2026 has been a disaster. From a sample size of three qualifying sessions in Melbourne and Shanghai, its highest qualifying position is Alex Albon's 15th place on the grid in Australia, when team-mate Carlos Sainz didn't make qualifying after hitting trouble in third free practice.
In China, Sainz and Albon were dumped out in Q1 in 17th and 18th – two and six tenths off Q2 respectively – with Sainz qualifying in the same position in the sprint while Albon was last with another car problem.
