Vowles confident Sainz and Albon will stay at Williams despite 2026 struggles

Williams team principal James Vowles has moved to quell speculation over his driver lineup, stating he is confident Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will remain at the Grove-based team for the 2027 season. Vowles told media that both drivers have privately and publicly affirmed their commitment to Williams, and that the open culture he has built means they would come to him first if that changed.

The reassurance comes against a difficult backdrop. Williams’ 2026 challenger, the FW48, has arrived overweight and lacking downforce — a significant step back from the progress that carried the team to fifth in last season’s constructors’ championship. Rumours have circulated that Sainz, in particular, could yet feature in the 2027 driver market if results continue to disappoint.

Vowles has been candid with his drivers about the car’s shortcomings since October last year, and says that transparency is precisely why he trusts their loyalty. Weight-saving upgrades are expected at each of the coming rounds, and points finishes in Miami, Montreal and Monaco have offered some evidence that the FW48 has underlying potential.

“The great thing with both is they have the same values I do, which is honesty, transparency,” Vowles said. “We have honest conversations, all the way from October last year when I started to see problems, to January till March — and then here’s what we’re doing to fix this in this year.”

He acknowledged that it would be “foolish” for any driver to ignore an opportunity at a front-running team if one arose, but stressed that Sainz and Albon are currently bought into Williams’ longer-term direction. “Where they’re committed to at the moment is Williams and our future because they like what we are doing to invest in our future and our direction,” he added.

Vowles also described a deliberate cultural shift at Williams, where drivers are treated as central to the project rather than secondary to technical development — a notable departure from the team’s historical approach. He said he wants both Sainz and Albon to feel that Williams is genuinely “their team”.

“At the moment, Carlos and Alex want their future to be here,” Vowles said. “They’ve said that to me, but they’ve said that to you publicly as well at the same time.”