Formula 1: Will Williams and Red Bull bounce back in Miami? Carlos Sainz and Isack Hadjar are tempering expectations
Red Bull is sixth in the constructors standings while Williams is ninth and has just two points.
There is some public pessimism that Red Bull and Williams will be able to make big strides forward at the Miami Grand Prix. Both teams have been incredibly disappointing through the first three races of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Williams has dealt with a car that is heavier than most of the field while rumors have swirled that Red Bull is facing similar issues.
A season ago, Williams was fifth in the constructors standings and the best of the rest outside McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. This year, Carlos Sainz’s two points are the only ones the team has scored so far. And he said Thursday that Williams won’t immediately be faster.
“I don’t think our position will change massively,” Sainz said at a pre-race news conference. “But hopefully it is the start of our road to recovery this year. But if you look at it relatively, if others bring big upgrades, we won’t be able to move up much relatively.
” The Miami Grand Prix is the first F1 race in over a month thanks to the Iran War. The conflict caused the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the 2026 schedule was reduced to 22 races. Could the unplanned break help teams catch up to Mercedes?