Carlos Sainz outlines Williams 'biggest hope' after F1 2026 disappointment

Carlos Sainz has stated that Williams' “biggest hope” is now on its 2027 car as it looks to make a sizeable leap in the F1 pecking order.

Williams long targeted the 2026 regulation overhaul as a chance to take a step up in performance and start to mix it up with the traditional top teams.

Instead, however, it slipped down the pecking order and has struggled for performance this year, scoring just 11 points so far.

It has an upgrade on the way for Baku, which Sainz hopes will offer a boost - but he conceded that it will not deliver it to the position it hoped prior to the start of the year.

“I think that upgrade is going to definitely help us to get ourselves closer to potentially fighting for some points,” Sainz told media including RacingNews365.

“But realistically speaking, that’s nowhere near where we wanted to be this year, nowhere near what we promised. 

“So, it’s still not enough and it’s still not where we want to be.”

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Sainz eyeing confidence boost with F1 upgrade

With the current campaign well past the halfway mark, some teams are starting to place their focus on next year's car in an effort to start the season in a strong position.

While Sainz admitted the upcoming upgrade could offer a short-term boost for the team, he stated its primary focus should now be on the 2027 challenger.

“It’s an upgrade that will help a bit the motivation of the team and just to look into the weekend with something to look forward to,” he said.

“Maybe to potentially get a point or two when we were like we were at the beginning of the year. 

“But it’s nowhere near where we want to be and I think our biggest hope is putting all the eggs in next year’s basket.”