Williams in the News: Focused on the Future

As the lights went out around Marina Bay, Atlassian Williams Racing once again showed the grit that has defined our season. With the team fighting through the field in Singapore, Lia Block securing her maiden F1 Academy victory, and James Vowles outlining the bigger picture, there was plenty of talk about where the team stands, and where it’s heading next.

In The Peak Magazine, Team Principal James Vowles reflected on the team’s progress and long-term ambition, offering insight into how Williams is building towards its next era.

“Most businesses don’t know how they are doing against their competitors, but we get to find out 24 times a year.”

“We have a plan to return this team to winning World Championships, and that means not trying to add a tenth of performance this weekend if we can do something that adds multiple tenths in the future.”

“We are proud of our history, but we’re now firmly focused on the future and one mission: to win again.”

Following a tough but productive night under the lights, F1.com caught up with both Williams drivers to hear their post-race thoughts.

Carlos said: "I think in a clean, normal weekend, P7, P8 was on the cards. We finished P10 so it was not a big drama and our rivals didn't get a lot of points so we managed to salvage the weekend a bit.

"At the same time, we need to keep getting better. Today, we executed a perfect race. I think we were the only car of the field to move forward with a midfield car, to go through 18th to 10th, when you see how little position variation there's been today I think it's definitely a good day."

Alex added: "Pit lane start, cruising around for a little bit, tried to get past one of the Alpines at the start but inevitably didn't really have the pace to do it, had to wait for them to box," he said.

"Tried to hold on and go long but didn't really have the tyres, that was pretty much it. We came out in blue flags, so when we did have fresh tyres we couldn't even use it because we were stuck behind, I think it was Oscar [Piastri].

"Then I had to wait for Oscar to catch the cars in front. It was basically what could have gone wrong went wrong. It was okay, we learnt something. I think I tried a lot of things with the set-up and it didn't work but it was good to cross it off actually."

Earlier in Singapore race week, James joined the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast to discuss the team’s Baku podium and the wider journey that moment represented. The episode offers a candid look at leadership, progress and belief in the project.

Fans can watch or listen to the full episode here.

Williams Driver Academy member Lia Block made headlines worldwide after claiming her maiden F1 Academy win, with AutoHebdo among those covering her performance and post-race reflections.

“The first half of the race was difficult,” Lia shared. “Fortunately, there were a lot of battles behind me, which allowed me to focus on myself. I figured out some things, gained some time, and relaxed until the end."

“I looked in my mirrors a few times to see how far away Maya [Weug] was, but I stayed focused on myself. The end was pretty easy, with no arguments, only one block, but we made it.”

“The circle is complete, I started from scratch and now we're at the top. It's really great."

F1.com announced that Carlos Sainz will appear in Passenger Princess – a new four-part series from Formula 1 and creator Amelia Dimoldenberg.

“Formula 1 and writer, host, producer and creator of Chicken Shop Date, Amelia Dimoldenberg, are set to launch a four-part YouTube original series called Passenger Princess, where internet sensation Amelia learns to drive with the help of the ultimate instructors – Formula 1 drivers.”

Carlos Sainz will join George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Ollie Bearman on the show.