Williams brought its much-anticipated B-spec upgrade to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, and the result was a true mixed bag. The team reached Q3 for the first time this season, but a grid penalty for Carlos Sainz meant he started 14th, while Alex Albon crashed out. Still, a point for 10th place rewarded the factory's hard work.
Baku was a key weekend circled in red on Williams' calendar. They introduced a new FW48 chassis that finally met the minimum weight, along with a new floor and aerodynamic parts. The car's long-run pace in FP2 looked encouraging, unlocking a long-shut door to the midfield battle with Haas, Racing Bulls, and Audi.
Qualifying showed potential: Sainz claimed ninth, but his penalty demoted him. Albon also struggled. From the back of the grid, points seemed lost until Franco Colapinto took out Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris at a restart. The opportunity was seized.
Team principal James Vowles admitted it was a mammoth effort. "It's been a mammoth effort to bring the update, and it's nice to walk away with a point," he said. "We didn't have the pace on that first stint, and we need to dig and understand that."
Did the B-spec really deliver as hoped? Albon insisted, "I think it's exactly the step we expected. Maybe we didn't expect Q3, but yes, it put us in a midfield fight." Sainz added that the car feels quicker, but the team is still playing catch-up.
Another factor is that Baku is a real Williams track, which can't be said for Malaysia's Sepang and Singapore's street circuit, which demand higher downforce. "Malaysia will be telling," Albon said. "We've also got a few days to understand the package."
With the rest of the triple header challenging, Williams must maximise their understanding and optimisation. If not, the Baku point could be the only highlight before more struggles. But at least the foundation for 2027 is starting to show.
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