Alex Albon has credited new Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz with bringing a “different atmosphere to the team” ahead of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.

Sainz, a four-time race winner enjoyed a successful four-year stint with Ferrari before heading to Grove.

Sainz ended his debut race for Williams earlier than planned, after spinning behind the Safety Car on Lap 1.

However, the race was not over for Williams and Team Principal James Vowles revealed Sainz was crucial in the decision to pit Albon on Lap 44 for Intermediate tyres as conditions at the Albert Park Circuit changed.

This move proved to be vital in securing a fifth-place finish for Albon, his best race result for the Grove-based team.

In Shanghai, Albon claimed that Sainz has helped the team on and off track by highlighting numerous areas of improvement for the British-based team.

“Yeah, I mean, firstly, Carlos is pushing me both on and off the track,” Albon said.

“In terms of his expectations of the team and where he wants the team to go, it’s definitely something I’m very interested in.

“He’s obviously got a lot of experience from Ferrari, and he knows where the team needs to improve.

“So for me, there’s definitely a feeling that I’m also learning from Carlos.”

Albon praises Sainz for ‘pushing’ Williams

Albon praised the Spaniard for the difference he has already made at Williams: “In terms of pure pace and driving, yes, it’s a different atmosphere within the team.

“We’re pushing each other, but I’m really enjoying it.

“I feel like when you can look at things and study things in detail, it’s more about just putting laps together rather than anything else.

“I think it’s more his approach to perfection and wanting the team to improve.

“I’ve been in the team for over three years now, and there are moments where you kind of settle and accept as time goes on, and you focus on some areas where you know there are weaknesses in the team, but you kind of lose that constant ‘naggingness’ you get when you’re fresh into a team.”

Albon struggled last season with an overweight Williams FW46 and a crash-impacted campaign in what shaped up to be a step backwards compared to a strong 2023.

Totalling just 17 points throughout the year, Williams finished ninth in the Constructor’s Standings with a best finish of seventh place in Azerbaijan.

According to Albon, Sainz has pushed him to focus on the details and fight for what he wants in the FW47, saying “I remember my time at Red Bull and when I came into Williams, it was immediately, ‘This and this and this need to improve.’

“Whereas now, it’s kind of like, ‘Well, I know this is how it is, and I need to focus on these areas.’

“I think in that sense, Carlos is pushing us.

“He’s kind of brought me back to focusing on areas that I shouldn’t settle on and should push the team forward.

“Our goal, at the end of the day, the end of the year, is to become a top team heading into 2026. To do that, we need to make big changes.”

READ MORE – Williams reveals Alex Albon ‘encouraged’ it to sign Carlos Sainz

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Williams has been summoned to the stewards at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix for failing to submit video files of the onboard cameras that monitor the contentious flexi-wings.

Teams are obliged provide evidence of their use of the wings via the videos, which are taken from cameras mounted on the wings, facing forward and rearward.

However, the Grove-based squad “failed to provide the video files recorded by the wireless forward and rearward facing cameras within one hour after the end of the first free practice session”, according to the F1 technical delegate, Jo Bauer, who referred the issue to the stewards.

Williams representatives have been asked to report to the stewards’ office by 8.30am on Saturday morning.

Inability to provide any evidence breaches technical directive 34L, which was introduced at last week’s Australian Grand Prix.

The FIA’s clampdowns to combat the exploitation of any loopholes seemed to fail, with further regulation changes requiring all 10 teams must prepared rear wings that flex at a limit of 0.5mm, 0.2mm down from under a vertical load-bearing test of 75kg, with a tolerance of 0.25mm for this weekend’s race only.

The issue first reared its head last year at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when the rear wing of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren was spotted to be flexing through the slot gap, which in turn conjured a DRS-like effect – now known as ‘mini-DRS’ – enabling the Australian’s victory at that race.

From Round 9 – the Spanish Grand Prix – onwards, the FIA will also enforce a new maximum front wing flex from 15mm to 10mm, in order to further curb any further anomalies.

READ MORE – Alpine forced into change as Red Bull debates impact of flexi-wing clampdown

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Alex Albon secured crucial points for Williams with a strong fifth-place finish at the 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and with a little help from his team-mate Carlos Sainz.

The 28-year-old started the Grand Prix from sixth on the grid, as he lost one place at the start to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after the race finally got underway.

Heartbreak occurred for Williams after Sainz crashed out of the race behind the Safety Car, which was brought out due to Jack Doohan binning his Alpine car on the opening lap.

The Spaniard lost control of his FW47 heading into the final corner, blaming the incident on a “massive torque surge” over the team radio.

With one Williams car left running in the race, Albon managed to keep the other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton at bay for the majority of the Grand Prix.

He eventually pitted for dry tyres, along with many other drivers, during the Safety Car brought out by Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.

With a heavy shower set to hit the circuit, Albon and Williams chose to pit early back onto the intermediates.

This decision proved to be vital, as amongst the chaos and another Safety Car, Albon found himself in fourth place before eventually finishing in fifth place.

Team Principal James Vowles credited his team-mate, Sainz, afterwards for helping him secure a significant points haul in Melbourne.

“There was an additional strategist today and that was Carlos,” he told Sky Sports F1.

“His insight was incredibly useful on that transition to the inter.

“You saw a number of teams not sure, Carlos was adamant, ‘you’re gonna want to swap on that’ – and he was spot on!”

In a press release from the team, Vowles added: “I’m unbelievably proud of this team and I can’t wait to get to Shanghai in just a few days.

“I’m looking forward to what we can do across the remainder of the season.”

Albon hails ‘fantastic start’ after P5 finish

In the remaining laps, Andrea Kimi Antonelli overtook the Thai-British-born racing driver on his Mercedes debut.

The Italian was handed a five-second time penalty, initially bumping Albon back up into fourth, but it was later rescinded after a successful appeal from the German squad.

Reflecting on his performance after the race, Albon admitted he wasn’t feeling too “confident” in the tricky conditions.

“Honestly, it was one of those really awkward races where it never felt comfortable,” he explained.

“The wind was busting like crazy, the conditions were obviously so mixed.

“I wasn’t that confident in the race; it was more about making sure you don’t make mistakes and you knew the result was going to come at the end of it.

“There were moments in the race where I felt better and other moments of the race where I felt, especially when the wind picked up, where I felt like relative to others I was losing performance.”

However, he expressed his joy after the team managed to capitalise on the chaos to pick 10 valuable points.

“I think as a team, we really executed everything we could today,” Albon added.

“First race, it’s not easy to be dialed in, if you know what I mean, in terms of strategy and approach to the weekend.

“We executed everything so well today to get that P4.

“Just a fantastic start, and it just shows we’ve made a huge step from last year.

“These results, P4s, they’re not going to come around many times this year.

“We’ve talked a lot about capitalising early, internally within Williams, trying to make sure we take advantage of rookie drivers and things like that to get them points quickly and P4 today, that’s exactly what we’ve done.”

READ MORE: Alex Albon: Australia qualifying validates Williams is at the forefront of F1 midfield ‘dogfight’

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After qualifying in sixth place for the 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Alex Albon expressed confidence that Williams is in the mix for the midfield battle this season.

The Thai-British-born racing driver managed to put the FW47 on the third row for Sunday’s race with a sublime qualifying lap in Q3.

On his debut for the British squad, Carlos Sainz also managed to make his way into the final qualifying session, setting a lap time good enough for 10th place.

After a decent showing at pre-season testing in Bahrain, Williams showcased that it has made big strides from 2024 towards becoming one of the top midfield teams this season.

Speaking after the session, Albon rejoiced as he expressed his excitement with the progress made by the team.

“I’m really happy with my lap; I got most of it out of it,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“These tyres are super sensitive and sector three was, at the beginning, a bit of a lottery.

“It was hard to understand why the tyre was going one way or the other way, and then by the last run of the day, I kind of hooked it up and then finally got that time out of it.

“So I’m very happy – I feel like we’ve obviously done a huge step from last year to this year, not just in terms of performance but also in terms of just parts and weight and everything else.

“It feels like we’ve approached this weekend very differently to [the] last few months.”

When asked if the team had carried its pace from Bahrain to Australia, the 28-year-old agreed but emphasised just how competitive the midfield is going to be in 2025.

“Yes, it does, I think it also validates just how tight the grid is,” Albon replied.

“I mean, the Alpine and the RB, I think any of us could have qualified P5 under the right conditions.

“It’s going to be a dogfight in the midfield, and we’re getting closer to the top teams as well.

“It’s going to be a really interesting season, it’s all to play for, I think.”

Sainz: ‘I feel like I was always one step behind’

Settling into a new team seems to be a common problem for many of the drivers on this year’s grid, including Sainz at Williams.

The Spaniard admitted after pre-season testing that he was feeling ‘a bit lost’ ahead of the season opener in Melbourne.

With limited pre-season testing, the former Ferrari driver was struggling to get to grips with his new car and find the limit whilst pushing.

The 30-year-old reiterated his concerns, despite a strong performance in qualifying, when he was asked if he was happy with his showing after the session.

“Well, first of all, [I’m] very happy for the team, for Alex, even for myself to be in Q3 with my first quali with Williams,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week.

“If you would have told us three months ago that we would have one car P6 and the other P10, we would have definitely taken it.

“So congrats to the whole team and everyone involved.

“At the same time, I had a bit of a scrappy qualifying.

“Honestly, since FP2 and FP3 on the soft tyres, I’ve been struggling to know where to find the lap time with the out lap, with the setup of the car.

“I feel like I was always one step behind; I was trailing and reacting to the circumstances rather than being a step ahead.

“But it’s completely normal, and in a tight field, you are going to pay.

“Today, I paid the price a bit in Q3.

“But it’s only a matter of time before it starts coming and [I start] putting together a [couple] of laps, and yeah, I cannot wait.”

READ MORE: Alex Albon reveals key weakness Williams has addressed with 2025 F1 car

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Alex Albon believes that the 2025 Williams Formula 1 challenger has addressed the team’s prolonged weakness of wind sensitivity.

Wind sensitivity has haunted Williams for several years with its cars susceptible to changes in wind direction and spontaneous gusts.

F1’s pre-season testing venue, the Bahrain International Circuit, was the perfect venue to gauge whether the FW47 has improved in this area as the Sakhir venue is well-known for its windy climate.

Speaking to select media including Motorsport Week on the second day of the test, Albon was asked to make an early comparison between this year’s car and the FW46 of 2023.

“If you look back on last year, the first days to now, well, we’ve done two shakedowns so far,” Albon began.

“We did one in Silverstone, we did one here early in the week. 

“For the most part, the car feels a bit better in the wind, I would say. I think that’s the initial feeling.

“There is a bit of a through corner balance difference, but when I think about last year, we were struggling a lot in the wind. 

“It was an area that we’ve tried to focus on this year. 

Let’s see. For now, obviously, it’s a good place to test this kind of thing and it’s been holding on pretty well. 

“So yeah, there’s some good signs to it.”

Williams is in a much better position than 2024 – Albon

A concept shift and a radical production process overhaul at Williams ahead of the 2024 season delayed the arrival of the FW46, which began last season overweight.

Shedding weight amid a season littered with big crashes stunted Williams’ progress and the team ultimately slid to ninth in the Constructors’ standings.

However, F1 testing proved Williams is right in the mix for 2025 with midfield rivals Alpine and Haas citing the Grove-based squad as a contender.

Albon, too, believes the team is in a stronger position compared to 12 months ago.

“I think we know the areas we need to work on,” he said.

“I think there’s just some new things, new software, new areas to focus on, which has changed a little bit the balance of the car. 

“I think, just as a general feeling, the car’s in a much better position than last year.

“There are some areas where we’re just getting caught out on, but it’s nothing we can’t fix.”

Having a strong base is key for Williams given the majority of its development focus will be on the 2026 rule changes, with Team Principal James Vowles’ long-term vision for the squad overriding present results.

Williams ended pre-season testing with the fastest time of the three-day event courtesy of Carlos Sainz, with Albon setting the third-fastest time on the final day.

READ MORE – Alex Albon: Williams FW47 car to receive limited updates amid 2026 F1 focus

The post Alex Albon reveals key weakness Williams has addressed with 2025 F1 car appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Carlos Sainz has conceded that he is going into his initial races with Williams in 2025 “a bit lost” due to the restricted pre-season testing available to the drivers in Formula 1.

Sainz has appeared to sustain a positive start to his time with Williams as he ended the sole pre-season test in Bahrain with the quickest time in the much-improved FW47.

However, the Spaniard revealed there were several test items he didn’t get the chance to trial in his one-and-a-half-days in the car before the season-opening race in Australia. 

That inspired him to express that the current rule on testing “upsets” him as he implored that there should be an option to trade time in the simulator for outings at actual tracks.

Sainz, who is no stranger to changing sides, has admitted that he will embark upon his first qualifying session with Williams unsure how to extract the maximum from the car.

Asked how the 2025 Williams car compares to previous cars he has driven, Sainz told select media including Motorsport Week: “There’s just never a good car, bad car. 

“It’s just different trade-offs that you just need to take out all your skills and tools and say, ‘OK, this comes quite naturally in this car, but this other thing doesn’t’. 

“And I now need to focus on that. 

“The reality is that while I was pushing yesterday, I don’t know where to find the last two-tenths. 

“I’m going to go into the first races not knowing where the last bit of performance of the car is. 

“I was a bit lost, not knowing whether I need to push more the entries with this car or more the minimum speeds, or I need to focus more on the exits. 

“This you only discover when you put five sets of Softs in qualifying and you kind of end up finding out where the lap time comes. 

“I feel like everyone that changes teams, unfortunately, with only one day and a half of testing, only discovers this in the first few races.”

Sainz sees advantage to those who adapt quickest

Sainz isn’t alone, however, as the Lewis Hamilton deal that cost him his drive with Ferrari triggered a shake-up that has seen all but two teams revise their driver line-ups.

With 2025 poised to be the closest season in recent times, Sainz has acknowledged that those who adapt the quickest could gain a sizeable advantage over their rivals.

“Five, six teams within two, three-tenths,” he highlighted. “It’s changing teams, but it’s the same for the guys at the top with Kimi [Antonelli at Mercedes] and Lewis.

“It’s four teams fighting for the last three-tenths [at the front].

“And for sure, changing teams there has an effect, especially at the beginning. 

“Then it’s your job as a driver to make that process as seamless as possible and not cost yourself and the team a lot of positions and points. 

“But it’s what it comes with changing drivers, changing teams. It’s normal. One and a half days of testing is not enough for us to understand everything new.

“Everything is new when you change teams.”

READ MORE – Carlos Sainz quashes McLaren prediction over Williams 2025 F1 prospects

The post Why Carlos Sainz feels ‘a bit lost’ going into opening F1 rounds with Williams appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Upholding the legacy of the late great Sir Frank Williams is a key driver in the revival underway at his eponymously named Formula 1 team.

For decades, Sir Frank’s Williams team was a class-leading innovator in F1. Through the 1980s and ‘90s, Williams helped define an era for the sport, engaging in the championship narrative, driver-based rivalries and pushing the boundaries of innovation.

The team was responsible for stoking a fire and passion in generations of F1 fans one. That passion was passed down to me from my father as a child when I watched Williams as the outside challenger through Ferrari’s F1 dominance in the early 2000s.

But as the 21st century wore on and the financial costs of F1 skyrocketed, the family-run Williams team fell further and further away from its glory days. Sponsorship disputes and the gut-wrenching impact of Covid meant the Williams family was forced to sell to Dorilton Capital in the summer of 2020. A year later, Sir Frank sadly passed away, and with his once-great F1 team yet to turn a corner.

In 2023, Williams elected James Vowles as Team Principal and immediately, the mission at the squad changed. Vowels was adamant from the outset that his long-term goal was to revive the once-great Williams to become class-leaders again. Two years on and Vowles has made great strides, having invested time and effort to rejuvenate the team’s infrastructure and processes, lured a new title partner in Atlassian and the long-term driving services of the talented Alex Albon and multiple Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz.

With all these pieces assembled and Williams’ sights set firmly on success for the 2026 rule changes, I asked Vowles during a group media session following the launch of the FW47 in February if he felt Sir Frank would be proud of the direction the team is heading and how much of a motivator upholding his legacy is.

“The short answer is yes,” Vowles replied. “But let me put it to you in a slightly different way. This wasn’t the first day I put the shirt on with Atlassian and Williams on my chest. It was a few weeks ago when we did some filming and content. And I just took five minutes to be incredibly proud that I had the opportunity to bear his name and to bear Atlassian’s logo as well, and to be a representative of that in front of the world. We absolutely have a responsibility towards the late Sir Frank. I joined this team because it was the benchmark in the sport that redefined certain elements, for me, it brought me into the sport. And that’s why I’m here heading up Williams today. It means something to me, something very deep and personal. And answering your question, my goal is simply to bring this back to a championship level. And along the pathway, I want to make sure we do good to him, his name and his legacy.”

Alex Albon: There’s reinstated pride at Williams to get back to the front

Vowels’ words resonated strongly and spoke to the fact that Williams is deeply connected to its successful past, one curated by its incredible founder. Asking Albon a similar question in the build up to the F1 75 launch event in London, the Anglo-Thai driver revealed pride in restoring Williams’ legacy is something that has recently sparked, having faded away when he joined the team in 2022.

“It’s clear that obviously with Sir Frank, when he was spearheading the Williams team, the amount of success they had is different to where we are now,” Albon said. “I think the main thing is, especially for us at Grove, is to be proud and to feel like we have that desire and the passion to get back to where we once were. I think that time was quite a while ago now in many ways and so it’s important to revitalise and get the younger generation almost inspired by what the legacy was at Williams and seeing how we can get back to that position once again. You actually already feel that, I feel that within the team. I can see there’s a pride and a passion which I think two, three years ago wasn’t actually quite there. There is a different energy in the team and that’s kind of the goal that we’re going for.”

Sainz keen to bring Williams back to the front

One of the most extraordinary pieces in the Williams puzzle is Sainz. The four-time GP winner picked Williams over the might of Audi and stronger track record of Alpine, emboldened and persuaded by Vowles’ vision.

Sainz joins an elite group of drivers to race for McLaren, Ferrari and Williams that includes Nigel Mansell, Jacky Ickx and Alain Prost. 

“I think if you would have asked me when I was 10 years old and I started to fall in love with Formula 1, which teams you would have loved to drive one day, I would have definitely picked those three,” Sainz said.

More importantly, Sainz said that his desire to join Williams is to help restore it to its former glory and that stepping on the podium in blue would be one of the “proudest” moments of his career.

“I’m in my 10th year in Formula 1 and I’m joining Williams in a very important moment where it’s going through some key changes in its history and nothing would make me happier or more proud, it would definitely be the proudest moment of my career if one day I can be on a podium with this team,” he said. “I want to help that in that process, help this historical team. I think it’s the second most successful team in Formula 1, and being part of that process and being part of that ride on my way back to the top of Formula 1 is what motivates me and what I think you guys can tell. I’m happy, I feel supported by this team and I think that’s hopefully going to bring the best version of myself.”

Setting the fastest time during pre-season testing doesn’t mean Sainz and Williams will be on the podium just yet, but there is wide conjecture through the paddock that the team has joined the midfield frontrunners Alpine and Haas in the battle for best of the rest. The season opener in Australia will prove if that speculation is on the money, but if sentiment is worth anything, perhaps Sir Frank’s legacy is worth an extra hundredth on track by way of motivation.

READ MORE – Carlos Sainz reveals the gap Williams is missing to be F1 podium contenders

The post How Sir Frank Williams’ legacy is driving the team’s F1 revival appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alex Albon has revealed that Carlos Sainz’s arrival at Williams from Ferrari has reminded him of his own experience moving to the team from a leading rival in Formula 1.

Albon is embarking upon his fourth season with Williams with an alternative presence in the opposite garage in 2025 as the team has welcomed four-time race winner Sainz.

Sainz has entered the Williams fold with proven pedigree having racked up 90 F1 race starts with a Ferrari team that ended the previous campaign as a title contender.

The Grove-based squad is hoping that the Spaniard’s strong track record will translate to his new environment amid the ambition to build a championship-winning setup.

But Sainz is not alone in having garnered knowledge about how a top team operates as Albon’s current period with Williams has succeeded an 18-month stint with Red Bull.

Albon has admitted that hearing Sainz talk through the deficiencies of the Williams car versus the Ferrari has drawn parallels to how his spell with the team began in 2022. 

Put to him that he could become an even better driver with Sainz alongside him, Albon told select media including Motorsport Week in Bahrain: “For sure. 

“I think that he’s got a lot of experience and he’s very good at communicating what he feels in the car and the directions that he feels the car needs to go in. 

“I think in many ways it reminds me a little bit like my time at Red Bull coming here.

“You kind of understand and you feel what your car did before and where immediately the car that you’re driving now is missing. 

“Even these last few days I think he’s been able to kind of understand that and get the car into a pretty good place.”

Albon and Sainz on the same wavelength

Williams is going into the upcoming season in a much stronger position compared to 12 months ago amid the consensus that it could be leading a tight midfield pack.

Albon has disclosed that both he and Sainz have been on an identical wavelength regarding their feedback to the engineers about the team’s 2025 machine, the FW47.

“I think he’s got up to speed relatively comfortably with the car,” he added. “But it’s good; we’re talking the same language, we have the same feedback.

“The team are doing well, we’re responding well to solutions and whatnot. So far, so good.”

Sainz’s Williams adaptation has been ‘mind-blowing’

Williams boss James Vowles, who headed the pursuit to acquire Sainz’s signature, has expressed that his new recruit’s adaptation to the team has exceeded expectations.

“The rate he got up to speed was mind-blowing,” Vowles told talkSPORT at F1 75.

“His feedback is more concise than I expected. He has the ability with just a few words to bring our team to absolute celebration.”

READ MORE – Alex Albon: Williams FW47 car to receive limited updates amid 2026 F1 focus

The post The parallel Alex Albon sees between his and Carlos Sainz’s arrivals at Williams appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alex Albon has indicated that Williams will introduce minimal upgrades to its FW47 car to avoid compromising the team’s chances under Formula 1’s new regulations in 2026.

Williams has been candid about its ongoing restructuring being tailored towards guiding the side back towards the sharp end under the next rules period beginning next season.

A promising pre-season which culminated in new signing Carlos Sainz topping the testing timesheets, though, has heightened the expectation surrounding Williams in 2025.

Indeed, McLaren boss Andrea Stella has even touted that the Grove-based squad could emerge as a threat to the leading pack, a claim that Sainz has since quashed.

But despite the promising base Williams appears to have built this season, Albon has insisted that it won’t tempt it to devote more resources to developing its 2025 machine.

Asked whether he expects more updates to arrive compared to 2024, Albon told select media including Motorsport Week in Bahrain: “We’ll have to wait and see. 

“I think the big focus is on next year. 

“The more time you take doing updates and upgrades for this year, you’re going to jeopardise next year. You’re going to reduce the personnel that you can spend on that car.

“The aim for us is to be a top team and to do that, but we’re not going to spend too much time focussing on this year’s car.”

Williams ‘in a much better position’ compared to 2024

Williams has at least avoided the initial setbacks that hamstrung it 12 months ago when a late car build and overweight parts resigned the side to a challenging season.

Albon has expressed that Williams is in a more stable position this time around with an FW47 challenger that has addressed the limitations that blighted its predecessor.

“I think we know the areas we need to work on,” the Anglo-Thai driver elaborated.

“I think there’s just some new things, new software, new areas to focus on which has changed a little bit the balance of the car. 

“As you can see, I think, just as a general feeling, the car’s in a much better position than last year. There are some areas where we’re just getting caught up and nothing we can’t fix.

“We made some changes last night to today which has made a step. It hasn’t solved everything completely so there’s still some work to do.

“But so far, yeah, we’re in a reasonable place.”

READ MORE – Why Alex Albon insists ‘now is the right time’ for Williams to ‘sacrifice’ an F1 season

The post Alex Albon: Williams FW47 car to receive limited updates amid 2026 F1 focus appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alpine and Williams remained in Bahrain following the conclusion of Formula 1 pre-season testing to complete a two-day 2026 Pirelli tyre test.

Using specially modified 2023 F1 cars to mimic the 2026 regulations, the A523 and FW45 for Alpine and Williams respectively, the two teams tested the new construction of tyre.

On Sunday, Williams fielded Carlos Sainz and Alpine fielded its reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, the duo tested the 2026 18-inch tyres which are 25mm narrower at the front and 30mm at the rear.

Sainz and Hirawaka tested the same compounds throughout their running but with tyres made up of various different constructions, completing 116 and 131 laps respectively.

Sainz’s fastest time was a 1:34.740 while Hirakwa posted a 1:35.336.

On Monday, Alex Albon and Paul Aron took over the driving duties for Williams and Alpine respectively and instead of testing varying constructions, the duo instead ran one construction but three different compounds, C1 through C3.

Aron covered 130 laps, the fastest in 1:35.407s.

Albon, meanwhile, completed 120 laps with a best time of 1:35.667s.

The next Pirelli 2026 tyre test will be carried out by Mercedes at Silverstone on May 7-8 to test intermediated and extreme wet tyres.

Pirelli hails ‘significant’ data gathering in Bahrain

“Another very useful day for the development of the 2026 tyres,” commented Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Director of Motorsport. 

“Almost 2,700 kilometres completed, we have been able to gather a significant amount of data to take forward in our programme. 

“I would like to really thank the drivers and teams who extended their stay at the Bahrain track by a further three days at what is such a busy time, with less than two weeks to go to the first race. 

“In Sakhir we continued with a comparison of different types of construction and compound, the latter at the hardest end of the range, to suit the characteristics of this track. 

“Now, our colleagues in R&D will analyse the information carefully and provide useful indications so that we can continue to improve the product for the next generation of cars.”

READ MORE – Ferrari set for 2026 F1 tyre test with modified mule machine

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