Montoya warns Williams must sacrifice 2027 season to salvage troubled 2026 car

Juan Pablo Montoya has warned that Williams may need to abandon their 2027 development programme to address the fundamental problems plaguing their 2026 Formula 1 car, following another damaging weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon were eliminated in Q1 at the Red Bull Ring, starting the race from 17th and 18th on the grid. The afternoon brought no relief: Sainz retired with a suspected electrical issue, while Albon crossed the line in 17th place. The result leaves Williams eighth in the constructors’ championship with 11 points — 10 adrift of Haas in seventh.

Speaking on the F1 TV post-race broadcast, the Colombian former Williams driver delivered a blunt verdict on his old team’s predicament. Asked whether the British outfit could turn things around at their home race at Silverstone, Montoya said the answer depended on a willingness to make hard choices.

“Unless they start bringing upgrades, no,” Montoya said. “Everybody’s bringing upgrades, and I feel that at some point, they need to go, ‘We’re going to go all in and figure it out, upgrade this and even sacrifice next year, but we need to figure out how to close that gap.’”

Montoya acknowledged the effort Williams have invested in the new regulations cycle, but argued the returns have simply not materialised. “They really put all the eggs for this year, and it hasn’t really worked,” he said. “But they have everything in place to be able to be an amazing and top team. So I don’t think they’re that far from being really successful.”

The assessment will sting at Grove. Williams finished fifth in the 2025 constructors’ championship and entered the 2026 season with genuine optimism, only to find themselves mired near the back of the field as rivals continue to bring performance updates.

Montoya also offered a note of perspective for any driver weighing up their future with the team. “As a driver, if you’re driving for them, it’s one of those teams that you go, ‘Man, if I leave, I might miss this,’” he said — a suggestion that the underlying infrastructure at Williams remains strong enough to eventually deliver.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone runs from 3 to 5 July, giving Williams a fortnight to find answers before racing in front of their home crowd.