Williams in the News: Heading Into The Break

With the Hungarian Grand Prix behind us and the summer break officially underway, the first half of the season is now in the books. As the paddock pauses, there’s still been plenty of buzz around the team.

Here’s a look at what’s been said since the flag fell in Budapest.

After a clean but point-less Hungarian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz spoke to F1.com about the result and hopes for more fortune in the second half of the year.

"We tried a two stop, majority of the field I think tried one and it was probably a faster race," he shared, adding: "But one or two stops today, the car simply didn't have the pace to be better than P13, which is where we should have finished without the incident with [Pierre] Gasly.

"The races where the car has been quick, we didn't maximise the points and this weekend where the car was slow, we did a decent, clean weekend. But it didn't get us any points, so hopefully it's the other way around in the second half."

Newsweek explored the rising number of women watching, working and competing in Formula 1 and motorsport more widely. Our F1 Academy driver Lia Block and Commercial Director James Bower both featured in the story, highlighting the power of accessibility and visibility in growing the sport.

"It makes me so happy to go back to my local karting track and see multiple young girls racing in each class, versus six years ago when I first started karting and was the only girl in the entire series," said Lia.

"We have seen F1's popularity boom since it was acquired by Liberty Media in 2017 when there was a big effort to open up social media, get new races on the calendar like the three we now have in America, and really bring the sport closer to the fans," Bower continued.

"That is something we embrace at Atlassian Williams Racing, hosting downtown Fan Zones at major races like Austin, Miami, Las Vegas, Singapore and in London, so that fans have the chance to get up close to cars and see their heroes in person."

What does a Team Principal actually do during a Grand Prix weekend?

Autosport spent time with James Vowles at the Austrian Grand Prix to find out what really goes on behind the scenes — beyond the pit wall presence and media duties. From pre-race briefings to post-session analysis, the piece lifts the curtain on a weekend in the life of the Williams boss.

Speaking on Sky Sports and covered by Motorsport.com in Hungary, James offered insight into his long-term view of the driver market — and the importance of rewarding belief and loyalty.

"I think the end of 2026 will be another big driver market move. A lot of contracts come up at that stage," our Team Principal explained.

"Simple answer is this. I have two drivers that believe in what we're doing in terms of the longevity of this team, the investments in this team, and the direction to go back towards winning championships.

"And my job in all of this is making sure they're fairly rewarded for that journey, and they want to be a part of that journey as well at the same time. And that's what I can provide and offer them."

Fresh from Budapest, Alex Albon joined The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X for a lighthearted breakfast interview. Plenty was covered, but it was something that Alex forgot (with James Vowles listening in...) that has had plenty of views across social media.

Watch the full interview below:

Our Thai racer was also interviewed by The Telegraph, where he revealed that — from a personal perspective — this season has been his best campaign in Formula 1 to date.

"I’d say so, I think it’s my best season,” he said. "We’ve had quite a few challenging races this year where it’s been in mixed conditions as well.

"I think about Melbourne, Miami, Spa, Silverstone, and we always seem to have been able to get away with good points.

"I am very happy. I don’t think it’s been such a different year to my other years, more just that the team itself has made a big step forward and I’ve been able to execute races with good points."