Despite recent problems, James Vowles is optimistic about the future, but emphasizes that Williams will probably not be able to compete at the front of the field in the 2026 season.
Williams has been on an upward trend in recent years. After finishing the 2022 season in tenth and last place in the world championship, they finished seventh in 2023 and, after a slight dip in 2024, even finished fifth in the world championship in the 2025 season with P9.
Williams last performed better ten years ago, when it finished the 2015 Formula 1 season in third place in the championship. But James Vowles, who has been team principal in Grove since 2023, emphasizes that the next step will be the most difficult one yet for the team.
“We are well aware of the challenge ahead of us,” says Vowles, explaining: “In my experience, the jump from fifth to fourth place is exponentially more difficult than what we have already achieved.”
The wait is over. Meet the FW48 livery pic.twitter.com/Q88qWS0jI5
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsF1) February 3, 2026
In recent years, the top four teams in Formula 1 (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes) have more or less dominated the sport. The last victory by another team dates back to the 2021 season, four and a half years ago. Esteban Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine, and since then, all 103 Grand Prix victories in the premier class have gone to the top four teams. This shows how difficult it is to make the leap from the top of the midfield to the top four. “The only way to achieve this against competitors who are themselves striving to move forward and develop is to push the absolute limits and make bold decisions,” explains Vowles.
Vowles optimistic: 2025 “our established base”
After all, development is not standing still at McLaren and Co. either, which is why it is not enough for Williams to move forward at the same pace. You have to be better than the top teams – which, according to Vowles, will probably not be the case in 2026.
The team boss emphasizes: “We don’t expect to be fighting for the championship [in 2026]. But we assume that 2025 will be our established base and that we will continue to drive the business forward year after year from then on.”
In other words, although Williams had to skip last week’s shakedown in Barcelona and thus did not get off to a good start to the new year, Vowles believes that in 2026, the team will be able to pick up where it left off last season.
“No one really knows what will happen in Melbourne,” he says with regard to the season opener, explaining: “Our most important point at the moment is that we push like crazy, catch up, and go to Bahrain with our heads held high and continue to make progress.”
The last two Formula 1 tests before the season opener in Australia will take place in Sakhir starting next week. The tests will be held in the desert from February 11 to 13 and again from February 18 to 20 – in both cases with Williams.
