Williams in the News: Returning to Africa, a milestone reached and plans for the break
All the latest from the world of Atlassian Williams F1 Team, through the motorsport media lens
Published
31 JUL 2026
Est. reading time
4 min
As the summer break begins, Atlassian Williams F1 Team has been generating headlines across continents, from the streets of Johannesburg to the pages of Marvel Comics. Here's what the media have been saying over the past week…
Alex in Africa
Thanks to our partners at SuperGroup, Alex spent a whirlwind day in South Africa as part of a month-long South Africa Fan Tour spanning Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
The visit made history, with Alex becoming the first active Williams driver to officially set foot in South Africa since Alain Prost's victory at Kyalami back in 1993. In that context, the warmth of the reception he received felt significant. "South Africa lived up to the hype, the fans here are as passionate as it gets," he said, adding that the visit had reinforced just how important the continent is for the sport's continued growth.
The trip generated two major pieces in The Citizen, the first of which unearthed a story that not many people knew. It turns out Alex has a genuine personal connection to South Africa, having himself lived in Johannesburg for a period as a child. "A really weird story," he admitted, before revealing the punchline – his house was number nine, and President Ramaphosa's was number ten.
The second piece focused on the bigger picture. Alex met with President Ramaphosa during the visit and came away encouraged by what he heard. "Just before coming here, we had a meeting with the president. It was very cool to hear, firstly, his passion for Formula 1. He really is a racer, and I think that can only help there being a chance for a South African Grand Prix." He was careful to temper expectations, but his enthusiasm for the prospect was clear: "Everything's there, the writing's on the wall."
SABC Sport also covered the visit, with Alex reflecting on the personal dimension of coming back to a country he has a connection with. "I lived here in South Africa for about a year and a half, so I guess it's not my first time, but at the same time just hearing and feeling the passion for the first time has been eye-opening for me."
One hundred races, and counting
Before the summer break arrived, Formula1.com published a milestone feature on Alex’s 100th race with Williams – a record-breaking one at that, having already surpassed Nigel Mansell's tally of race starts for the team at Barcelona.
Reflecting on the milestone set at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Alex said: "Hitting 100 races with this team means a lot to me. It's been quite a journey since I first joined, and it is always nice to think back on some memories over the years, and I'm proud of how far we've all come together. There's still so much more I want to achieve with Williams and in F1."
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Vowles: we go into the break with desire to make everything right
James Vowles addressed the squad directly in a video message released to Williams' social media channels after the Hungarian Grand Prix, as the team headed into the summer break. It was characteristically open, as reported by GP Fans.
"It's been an incredibly tough first half of the year," he said, before thanking the factory staff for their work in difficult circumstances. "This winter really exposed everything that isn't in the right place to a level that wasn't expected."
He was direct in his acknowledgement of what Alex and Carlos have been asked to carry. "They've been by our side all the way through and stood headstrong despite the difficulties that we're putting them in on track. They're two incredible drivers, they deserve to be fighting for points at the minimum every weekend and we haven't provided that."
The message closed on a forward-looking note: "We go into the summer break with frustration but also the desire to make everything right in our future."
Carlos and the 30-year tradition
Motorsport.com covered Carlos’ appearance on The Fast And The Curious podcast, where he shared his plans for the break, and revealed a summer routine that has barely changed since childhood.
"I normally spend my summer in the Balearic Islands. I'll spend most of my time in Mallorca. Mallorca is where my parents' home is for the summer. My whole family goes there for almost a month. They install themselves there, and I get to go there for a couple of weeks and just hang out with the people that I love."
"Honestly, I've been doing that for 30 years, and that's everything I do in summer."
Iron Man, Doctor Doom and a Williams F1 car
The Williams x Marvel collaboration continues to pick up coverage, with Comic Book Club the latest outlet to spotlight Iron Man: Racing Towards Doom #1. Written by Ethan Sacks, the one-shot sees Doctor Doom stop at nothing to ensure Latveria wins the F1 season, with Iron Man teaming up with Carlos and Alex to stop him.
Sacks summed up the appeal of the crossover neatly: "We are in the unique position to introduce fans of Williams F1, a racing team with a storied history, to what's so cool about the comic book medium. And we can show super hero fans what's awesome about the fastest sport in the world."
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