BAKU — Williams finally rolled out its long-awaited B-spec upgrade at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and left with a mixed bag, reaching Q3 for the first time in 2026 and scoring points for the first time since Monaco.
Carlos Sainz was the driver to progress to Q3, but a grid penalty meant he did not start there. The team still banked points with some fortune on a chaotic weekend, while Alex Albon crashed out and failed to finish.
Azerbaijan had been circled in red on Williams' calendar as the key weekend to introduce the upgraded package. The split outcome — a qualifying breakthrough and a return to the points tempered by a retirement — leaves the team to evaluate what comes next after the Baku debut, which unfolded amid George Russell's victory in Baku.