At the 2026 F1 Miami GP, Williams, led by James Vowles, ended the weekend on a high note with both drivers finishing within the points. Carlos Sainz had finished in P9, with teammate Alex Albon rounding out the points with a P10 finish.
The upgraded Williams FW48 brought the team’s first double-point finish of the season at the Miami International Autodrome. They picked up three more points after the 2026 F1 Miami GP and now sit in P8 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Williams Team Principal James Vowles reflected on the successful Miami GP weekend in a Q&A responding to questions about the double-points finish. He spoke on how the team’s strong performance was due to a mix of the upgraded package and track-specific elements.
Vowles also added that Williams will continue to strive to perform stronger each weekend.
Vowles on the upgrades Williams brought to the 2026 F1 Miami GP
Like many teams on the grid, Williams took advantage of the impromptu five-week break and returned to the track at the 2026 F1 Miami GP with major upgrades to their challenger.
For Williams, these upgrades focused primarily on aerodynamic elements such as the floor and bodywork. There were also significant improvements made to the FW48’s rear suspension.
Vowles shared how the upgraded package played a major role in the team’s strong performance at the 2026 F1 Miami GP and reflected that it was a team effort.
“Pretty much most of the aerodynamic package has changed. There’s modifications on the front wing, there’s modifications to the brand-new floor, brand-new set of bodywork around it as well at the same time. We’ve also changed some rear suspension components. We’ve also adapted and changed some other minor components in and around the car at the same time, and ways of working with the car, including how we even prepare here back in Grove. So, pretty significant changes for Miami.”
Additionally, the Briton also pointed out that he believed that the Miami International Autodrome was a strong track for Williams, which contributed to their successful 2026 F1 Miami GP weekend.
He brought up the team’s 2025 performance to back up his point. Alex Albon was P5 last season, with Carlos Sainz 9th as Williams beat and fought Ferrari that day.
“However, it’s a good question. We were strong in Miami last year, we were strong again this year, and I suspect there’s going to be a little bit of track-specific elements where it’s allowed us to perform slightly better. But that will be a small, minor part relative to the large amount of growth we’ve had.”
Vowles says it is too early to know where Williams stands in terms of performance compared to the grid
Vowles also explained how, since several competitors did not bring significant upgrades to the 2026 F1 Miami GP, Williams may only had a temporary performance advantage over the likes of Haas, Racing Bulls and Audi.
Hence, the team will have to monitor their performance across the next few weekends to gain a better understanding of where they truly stand among the grid as they continue to develop their next upgrade package.
“The second is, not all teams brought updates. We did, obviously, Red Bull did, McLaren did, Racing Bulls did, but Haas and Audi, for example, didn’t bring a tremendous amount, nor did Mercedes. So, what you need to balance that out is over the next three, four rounds, as we bring more and more performance, how does that balance against those other teams?
“Which always is one of the tricky things we’re up against. We’re in this continuous fight to just bring performance every single race weekend. And it’s that relative gain that means you move forward relative to your competition. Now, I’m happy with what we’ve got in our pipeline, but I don’t know what others have.
“So, going back to the question, lots of bits brought to the car. A little bit of Miami, I think, helping us, but the reality is a good amount of performance brought to the car.”
