Brundle views Williams’ 2026 ‘very concerning’ as problems mount

Sky F1’s Martin Brundle has delivered a bleak assessment of Williams’ faltering start to the 2026 season, describing the situation as “very concerning” and deepening the sense of unease surrounding the historic team.

The mood around the once-iconic British outfit has darkened alarmingly as the new campaign unfolds.

Despite the strategic shifts and steady optimism projected by team boss James Vowles at the end of last season, the missed private testing sessions in Barcelona earlier this year signaled a precarious foundation.

Now, three rounds into the new era, the team languishes in ninth place, saved only by a solitary ninth-place finish from Carlos Sainz in Shanghai. The weight of history is proving a difficult burden to carry for a car that appears physically and aerodynamically compromised.

A faltering beginning raises deeper fears

Reflecting on Williams’ current trajectory, Brundle offered a grim assessment of the situation. The veteran broadcaster highlighted that the team’s issues are not merely a run of bad luck, but perhaps a fundamental failure of their recent evolution.

"It's very concerning because obviously, as you say, James has been talking about a restructure and we're going to have to give up something here to get some advantages down the road," the former Grand Prix driver explained.

“They've got a Mercedes power unit like Alpine and like Mercedes and McLaren. We know they had crash test issues. We know the car had to then have a lot of extra stuff put on it, basically to pass the test.”

In a sport where millimeters and grams dictate the hierarchy, the compromises made to simply get the car onto the grid have left Williams fighting an uphill battle against physics and the ledger.

"So you're on your back foot at that point. Probably the weight of the car, the weight distribution of the car, the centre of gravity of that weight. And in today's cost cap world and relentless racing until right now, it's hard to recover that situation," Brundle noted.

While the team currently sits ahead of Cadillac and Aston Martin in the standings, the gap to the competitive midfield remains a chasm. And the sense of a missed opportunity for a grand revival hangs thick in the paddock.

'We need them up there'

Brundle’s most damning observation cut to the core of the problem.

"But fundamentally it doesn't look a particularly good car either. So, it's very worrying for them. They're ahead of Cadillac and Aston Martin, but you can only look at the Williams performance to date, and be extremely disappointed for them," the Briton said.

It is a sobering reality for a team once synonymous with success. Even as they cling to a position ahead of a few rivals, the broader picture remains bleak – one of unfulfilled promise and growing pressure.

Yet beneath the criticism lies a note of longing, for what Williams once represented, and what Formula 1 still needs them to be.

"And we need them. We need them up there. We need them charging at the front of the midfield,” Brundle concluded.

For now, that vision feels distant. The 2026 season was supposed to mark a turning point. Instead, it has begun with a sense of déjà vu – another uphill battle, another year where hope must fight against the weight of reality.

Read also: Williams recruit ex-Mercedes F1 engineer Dan Milner

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