F1 star says Aston Martin 'in another league right now', here comes Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey in front of a sketch of an F1 car — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

F1 star says Aston Martin 'in another league right now', here comes Newey

Newey is finally working his magic

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Thursday 27 August 2026 19:35 Updated: 22:06

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Williams star Carlos Sainz believes that Aston Martin have now surpassed his team in the F1 development race, claiming that they are in 'another league' to the Grove-based outfit after Adrian Newey's recent upgrades.

Heading to Zandvoort, Williams had a double boost with Sainz and teammate Alex Albon signing new deals, but the brutal task they face on the track was once again laid bare at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Sainz finished 16th, two laps down on the leaders and the last of the running drivers, while Albon suffered a DNF after being hit by his own team-mate late in the race.

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Williams remain ninth in the constructors' standings at present, but Aston Martin are coming. After Newey and the team overhauled the AMR26 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, further aerodynamic updates and an engine upgrade from Honda saw the team once again become more competitive, with Fernando Alonso finishing P9 and scoring two points.

Carlos Sainz: Aston Martin in another league to Williams

All of the above comes after a disastrous start to the year for Aston Martin, but Sainz says that they are now in a different league to Williams.

“We are pretty much where we expected, which is towards the back. We are only quicker than Cadillac at the moment," Sainz admitted to the media, via motorsport.com.

"You saw the Astons in race pace, they are a different league right now. So we couldn't fight them. We couldn't fight anyone, really.

“If you look at the last five races, this is where we've been for the last five races. It is where we are.”

Upgrades on the way for Williams, but not until Baku

Williams are now working hard to deliver their own upgrades this season, but they won't have them for a while yet.

Team principal James Vowles has confirmed that they are set to unleash a major upgrade package on the FW48 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but that race is not until late September.

That means it is likely that Aston Martin will continue to outperform Williams heading into September, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and Sainz's home race in Madrid all coming before Baku.

Williams must hope that when they do eventually arrive, their upgrades work as well as the ones Newey has delivered at Aston Martin.

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F1 Aston Martin Carlos Sainz Adrian Newey Williams