00:06Williams' hopes of a big step forward in 2026 have been dashed,
00:11with the British squad uncompetitive and out of the points at round one in Australia.
00:17It wasn't just behind on the road either, having missed major pre-season targets like turning up to the first
00:24Barcelona test,
00:25and the car's minimum weight, with further limitations discovered in Barade.
00:31It's a long way from its impressive fifth place in the Constructors' standings last year,
00:36having amassed 137 points, including two podiums from Carlos Sainz, who beat teammate Alex Albon to the rostrum.
00:46That was the squad's biggest points haul since 2016.
00:50But that was then, and this is now, with an even bigger gap to close.
00:55Though Albon was far from disillusioned pre-season, instead playing the long game.
01:03I think the changes that James is making at the factory, the culture in the team, the way that it's
01:10shifting,
01:11it's all going in the right direction.
01:12It's what I believe the team needs to be like to become a championship-winning team in the future.
01:17So we're still in our growing phase.
01:20They're still many years ahead of us, but we're on the right path.
01:25There's no doubt that the Anglo-Ti F1 driver is deeply committed to the stalwart operation for the long haul,
01:31with Miami ahead seeing Albon notch the all-time most starts for Williams.
01:37It does feel strange to be thinking of myself as the longest driver in Williams.
01:43Maybe that's partly down to how many races we do, but still, I think it just shows how much I
01:49believe in the team.
01:50I think it shows that I've been a part of this journey from the very beginning, and I still believe
01:56in it.
01:56So that's why I'm here.
01:59Carlos Sainz, Albon's race-winning teammate, also refused to be drawn on hopes of results preseason,
02:05but hinted at the British team's progress and performance being his North Star.
02:12What I'm going to be looking for is how well the team is progressing in all the areas that we
02:17know we were still lacking and we are still weak.
02:21So, yeah, for me, the fundamental thing is going to be to keep seeing progress from where we finished last
02:28year
02:28and to keep seeing a positive trend like we were seeing.
02:33Williams needs results and fast if it's to hang on to its two drivers,
02:38both of whom have been waiting a long time for improvements.
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