– The biggest disappointment in the 2026 Formula 1 winter is without question Aston Martin-Honda. Due to the problems the racing team had during the winter testing, it was somewhat forgotten that Williams also did not have an ideal start to the new year.
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While Aston Martin was at least able to participate in the shakedown in Barcelona with a delay in January, Williams skipped it completely. It was only during the two-week test in Bahrain that the picture changed, and while Williams rehabilitated itself, Aston Martin slipped completely into crisis.
Nevertheless, Williams did not leave a good impression on Christian Danner. “Considering that they have only been talking about 2026 for two years and have now started like this, leaving no impression and making no progress, it is concerning,” the expert told sport.de.
In fact, James Vowles, who joined Williams as team principal at the beginning of 2023, had repeatedly mentioned the year 2026 as an important milestone for the team. Many fans were therefore all the more disappointed when the racing team had to skip the Spain shakedown.
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“At the moment, I don’t really see Williams moving forward yet,” Danner also emphasizes. During the test drives in Bahrain, Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon did drive reasonably competitive laps, but in the end, they only found themselves at P16 and P18 on the timesheet.
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This placed Williams ahead of newcomer Cadillac and problem child Aston Martin, but together with the Racing Bulls, only at the back end of the midfield. They had finished the 2025 season in fifth place in the World Championship standings, and thus as “Best of the Rest” behind the four top teams.
Although test times in Formula 1 should always be taken with a grain of salt, the trend at Williams seems to be pointing downwards. On the other hand, Audi was “a very positive surprise” for Danner. The former Formula 1 driver praises “that they integrated into the midfield relatively easily.”
“We won’t know exactly where they stand until it starts. But what we’ve seen so far is above expectations,” says Danner. Audi’s predecessor team Sauber had finished ninth and second to last in the Constructors’ World Championship in 2025.
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