Overview

• Vowles predicts that with roughly half the current grid—including Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso—becoming free agents after 2026, teams will face a major driver-market upheaval.
• Williams has Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz signed through 2026 and regards them as key leaders in shaping the car’s future development.
• The team principal intends to begin contract negotiations at the start of 2026 to prevent last-minute distractions and ensure continuity ahead of the new regulations.
• The 2026 aerodynamic and power-unit reset, the biggest technical change since 2022, is driving teams to synchronize car development with driver retention.
• Under Vowles’s leadership, Williams sits fifth in the constructors’ standings—their best position since 2017—underscoring the value of experienced drivers for the team’s resurgence.