2026 was supposed to be the year Williams made a big step forward in Formula 1.
They’d scored their first podiums under Team Principal James Vowles in 2025, all while prioritising focus on this new era of regulations, so expectations of what they could achieve this season were high. But they’ve fallen well short of those.
Speaking to Tom Clarkson, James talks about the phone calls he had with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz before the season to tell them the team was ‘in trouble’, whether he was worried both drivers would leave and why the car was overweight in the first place.


James is very honest and self-critical, reflecting on what he’d do differently and the advice he’d give himself in hindsight. But he’s also optimistic about the future, with the team fighting hard to overcome their struggles and showing ‘true innovation’ to create a new chassis that was introduced in Baku.

This episode is sponsored by: 

Salesforce: Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at Formula 1? From the broadcast room to the track, see how the fastest sport on earth runs on Salesforce. Head salesforce.com/F1 to watch Inside F1, powered by Salesforce.

Vanta: Learn more at vanta.com/GRID

Shopify: If you’re ready to launch your business before Black Friday, go to SHOPIFY.COM/beyondthegrid
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<div>2026 was supposed to be the year Williams made a big step forward in Formula 1.</div><br><div>They’d scored their first podiums under Team Principal James Vowles in 2025, all while prioritising focus on this new era of regulations, so expectations of what they could achieve this season were high. But they’ve fallen well short of those.</div><br><div>Speaking to Tom Clarkson, James talks about the phone calls he had with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz before the season to tell them the team was ‘in trouble’, whether he was worried both drivers would leave and why the car was overweight in the first place.</div><br><div>
<p>James is very honest and self-critical, reflecting on what he’d do differently and the advice he’d give himself in hindsight. But he’s also optimistic about the future, with the team fighting hard to overcome their struggles and showing ‘true innovation’ to create a new chassis that was introduced in Baku.</p><p><strong>This episode is sponsored by: </strong></p><p>Salesforce: Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at Formula 1? From the broadcast room to the track, see how the fastest sport on earth runs on Salesforce. Head <a href="http://salesforce.com/F1">salesforce.com/F1</a> to watch Inside F1, powered by Salesforce.</p><p>Vanta: Learn more at <a href="http://vanta.com/GRID">vanta.com/GRID</a></p><p>Shopify: If you’re ready to launch your business before Black Friday, go to <a href="http://SHOPIFY.COM/beyondthegrid">SHOPIFY.COM/beyondthegrid</a><br>to start your free trial.</p></div>

Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.

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