F1 star reveals 'anger' after 'tough' winter testing

Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso pointing and waving at fans during the drivers' parade — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Testing 2026

F1 star reveals 'anger' after 'tough' winter testing

One team had a difficult start to winter testing

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 22 February 2026 16:53

An F1 star has revealed that he has a 'touch of anger' regarding his team's 'tough slump' during 2026 pre-season testing.

A number of teams suffered a disappointing couple of weeks at the Bahrain International Circuit, including new team Cadillac, Aston Martin and Williams, who appeared to lack pace following a Barcelona shakedown in which they weren't even able to get out on track.

After a 2025 season in which Carlos Sainz managed to secure two grand prix podiums for Williams as they finished fifth in the constructors' championship, hopes were high that they would be able to kick on in 2026 amid the wholesale regulation changes.

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But their FW48 was not ready on time for the first pre-season testing event in Barcelona, while the two three-day events in Bahrain yielded mixed results for the team.

It has led to well-informed surmises that they are perhaps further away from the top four than they were in 2025, and that they may have even dropped behind some of their midfield competitors.

That would not be ideal for their talented driver duo of Alex Albon and Sainz, who two years ago was claiming race victories for Ferrari and through no fault of his own ended up looking for a new team.

Now, in an interview with SoyMotor, Sainz has revealed the frustration that the downward trajectory has caused him.

Talking about how he is dealing with the new reality of the Williams team in 2026, Sainz said: "With a touch of anger for sure, because in the end there was a lot of ambition in the team, optimism too after last year, and going through a rough patch, I think that's always possible.

"In your career, or in the trajectory of any team, you can go through a rough patch. The important thing is how you recover from the slump. That's why for me it's going to be crucial to see the recovery from that slump during this season, because it's clear that the winter has been very tough for us, we've encountered problems that we didn't expect to encounter.

"But now the important and fundamental thing is to see that progression after the slump and, if I may, I'll continue to use an example like McLaren. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, McLaren went up. Then came 2022 and 2023... they fell back to last place, and suddenly, in 2024, they were world champions.

"So, even though it's a tough slump right now, there's no need to sound the alarm and give up on everything. Instead, we need to keep things in perspective and keep working."

Who has the upper hand after F1 pre-season testing?

It appears as though the top four teams from last year - McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari - will be the top four teams again this year, despite the wholesale regulation changes.

But in what order they will be at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix remains a mystery.

Mercedes had the strongest pre-season testing in terms of the amount of laps that they put in, but Ferrari and Red Bull arguably looked faster, particularly during the Bahrain tests.

Ferrari impressed on the final day with Charles Leclerc putting in the fastest time of the whole two weeks, but he then admitted that it's hard to know where the team's rivals are at, with it largely considered that Mercedes were 'sandbagging' during the final week of testing to hide their true pace.

And then there's world champions McLaren, who are bound to be strong with the Mercedes power unit, but who looked to be a little behind Mercedes and Ferrari during testing.

Time will tell where all of these teams will shape up, and whether the competitive order at the Australian Grand Prix is the same as the competitive order a few months down the line.

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F1 Carlos Sainz Williams 2026 regulations pre-season testing