Williams is emerging as one of the “biggest disappointments”, according to Jolyon Palmer

Former Formula 1 driver and F1 TV pundit Jolyon Palmer claimed that Williams is emerging as one of the “biggest disappointments” of the 2026 F1 season.

The Grove outfit has had a difficult start to the new regulations. After missing private testing in Barcelona due to delays with the FW48, Williams entered pre-season testing in Bahrain already playing catch-up.

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix resulted in 12th and 15th-place finishes for Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, respectively.

“Well, it’s going wrong across the board,” Palmer told F1 TV ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. “I think weight is the thing that we’ve spoken about already at length, but there’s a lot of things that are not working properly on that car.

“They don’t have downforce. The weight is an issue. Procedurally, there are a few things that are not tidy. And then Carlos had reliability [issues] as well. And for me, I think they’re probably the biggest disappointment.”

While Palmer noted that Aston Martin would be the “biggest disappointment for a very long time” after the issues the Silverstone outfit is battling with its new Honda power unit, he touched on the hopes for Williams prior to the season.

Alexander Albon, Williams

Team principal James Vowles maintained throughout 2025 that the squad was putting a lot of its energy into the 2026 regulation change, but the reality has fallen short of the expectations at this stage.

“You’ve got to park Aston Martin because they’re going to be the biggest disappointment for a very long time. But Williams with all their hopes, they’ve really struggled, and I don’t think it’s going to get easier this weekend. It’s a difficult circuit. It’s front limited, and that hasn’t always suited their car either.”

Both Williams drivers were eliminated in SQ1 during qualifying for the Chinese sprint race. Sainz and Albon will start from 17th and 18th, respectively.

Photos from Chinese GP – Friday