Steiner fears Vowles running out of time as Williams go ‘backwards’

Guenther Steiner has lobbed a grenade into Williams’s summer break, warning that the pressure on team boss James Vowles could be rising fast as the once-resurgent British outfit sinks deeper into trouble.

After another bruising weekend in Budapest, where Williams again struggled for pace, Steiner delivered a characteristically sharp assessment that suggests patience may not last forever at Grove.

What was meant to be a fresh dawn under Formula 1’s major 2026 rule changes has instead dissolved into a frustrating slide down the grid. Vowles, who arrived in 2023 with grand ambitions and earned early plaudits by elevating the team to seventh and eventually fifth in the Constructors’ standings, now faces a brutal reality check.

Unsurprisingly, Steiner took aim at the situation during an appearance on The Red Flags podcast, serving up a razor-sharp blend of sarcasm and alarm.

“As much as I think he’s not doing a good job, I think you need to at least give him time to read all his emails, which he got at the beginning of the year,” Steiner joked during an appearance on The Red Flags Podcast.

“He knows what to do. He just didn’t have time to read them. So, let him read his emails. Find a solution by the end of the year. If he hasn’t got to all the emails by the end of the year, then let him go.”

Steiner’s warning shot

The comments land at an awkward moment for Williams. The team heads into Formula 1’s summer shutdown sitting ninth in the constructors’ championship with just 11 points, while rivals
Aston Martin are beginning to show signs of life after introducing a substantial upgrade package in Hungary.

In Steiner’s eyes, the trajectory is unmistakable – and the excuses have run out.

"They promised us at the beginning of the season, 'We will be back; we know exactly what to do,'" Steiner argued. "Guess what? They're going backwards instead of forwards at the moment."

• Read also: Sainz sets out clear condition for staying at Williams

Steiner remains thoroughly unconvinced that Williams has the firepower left to defend its position against a surging rival.

"I think they’ve got a big chance to pick up two points here, two points there to get to 11 [points] because I don’t think that Williams is going to pick up any more points," he explained.

Should the downward spiral persist into the next campaign, the Italian warns that leadership patience will inevitably snap. In the high-stakes environment of Formula 1, past turnarounds count for very little when present momentum halts completely.

"If it is continuing the way that it currently is, five or six races into [next year], there’ll be changes. You’ve had enough time to read your emails and improve things. And if you haven’t, then you’re out."

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