Albon says Williams still cannot solve its car’s core problems

Alex Albon said Williams still had not solved the car’s core problems after he and Carlos Sainz were eliminated in Q1 during Saturday’s United States Grand Prix qualifying in Austin.

Albon said he finished the session as confused as he had been in FP1. Williams had tried different set-ups each session and was still fighting the car and tyres, he said: “nothing sticks”. He also suggested reviewing the run plan after feeling the team had gone out very early for its final run.

Albon had been bottom of the timesheets in FP1 and FP2, then finished ahead of Sainz and both Cadillacs in FP3, although he remained almost 2.8 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton.

Sainz said set-up changes had made him more comfortable in qualifying, though he also called the car very poor at Austin. Williams was investing in development for 2027, he said, and he did not expect miracles before the 2026 season ended.