威廉姆斯曾担心同时失去塞恩斯和阿尔本，直至二人续约
威廉姆斯车队负责人詹姆斯·沃尔斯承认，在车队2026赛季表现灾难性的情况下，他曾担心同时失去卡洛斯·塞恩斯和亚历克斯·阿尔本，所幸两位车手随后均选择续约。
在续约之前，威廉姆斯曾"担心同时失去"卡洛斯·塞恩斯（塞恩斯）和亚历克斯·阿尔本（阿尔本）
威廉姆斯F1车队负责人詹姆斯·沃尔斯坦承，他曾担心车队2026年的滑坡可能让他同时失去两名车手
亚历山大·阿尔本（Alexander Albon）、威廉姆斯、詹姆斯·沃尔斯（James Vowles）、威廉姆斯
威廉姆斯车队老板詹姆斯·沃尔斯承认，在塞恩斯和阿尔本两人续约明年的合同之前，车队灾难性的2026赛季曾让他担心同时失去他们。
威廉姆斯本周早些时候获得了一针强心剂，两位车手都承诺将继续留在这支陷入困境的车队。阿尔本续约至2027赛季，而塞恩斯签署了一份被称为'多年期'的续约合同，确保两位车手都留在格罗夫基地。
在2026年赛车项目遭遇灾难性失败、暴露出车队流程缺陷之后，车队排名跌至积分榜末尾，此时两位车手承诺其中期未来留在威廉姆斯，对车队员工来说是一剂急需的强心针。尤其是对车队领队沃尔斯而言，他当初曾在2025年费尽心思说服塞恩斯加入他的项目，这位四届大奖赛冠军得主与长期效力的车手阿尔本一起，成为他重建计划的基石。
但威廉姆斯2026年的挫折实在太严重，以至于沃尔斯真的担心自己可能在收获劳动成果之前就失去两位车手。
'我担心会同时失去他们两个，因为他们是具备世界冠军水准的车手，理应有机会去争夺领奖台甚至更好的成绩，'沃尔斯在赞德沃特承认。
“我们没有做到那一点。更重要的是，我们有一个关于未来发展方向的范围规划。我希望外界毫不怀疑，在过去几年里我们一直在稳步向前迈进，虽然去年是一个小失误——我认为那其实比我们的实际水平要积极——但方向是正确的。
“所以，对我们来说出现倒退，不仅让车手们感到意外，也让所有人都感到意外。这总会带来失去他们的风险。
“让我感激的是，当我们遇到问题时，他们站在了我们这一边。没有相互指责，而是‘告诉我我能做什么’。他们两人都来到工厂，与整个团队交流，并鼓舞了大家的士气。Carlos 这么做了，Alex 在本周续约之后也同样这么做了。”
随着 维斯塔潘 与 红牛 续约，以及其他顶级车队保持原有车手阵容，Sainz 或 Albon 想要获得平级调动以外的机会的空间十分有限。但 Vowles 坚信，两位车手都完全投入到了他在这支长期资金不足的车队所开启的长期项目中。
"他们希望这能成为他们的一部分，留在这个组织的转型期里。对此我很感激。但这也表明了，从事态发展的后半段来看，我们向他们展示了什么，以及我们正在为此采取什么行动。
"如果他们选择续约，这就说明正在进行大量的变革，他们对未来的样子充满信心。而这种信心极其重要，无论是对车队成员，还是对外界的任何人来说都是如此。
"这种稳定性很重要，因为车队正在真正地成熟和变化。而尽可能保持稳定，尤其是在你的车手阵容方面，这对于在此基础上继续发展变得至关重要。
Vowles表示，当双重续约的消息传达出去后，车队的工厂员工感到"如释重负"。虽然这为一支已经数月远离积分区的车队带来了可喜的士气提升，但这并不能减少前方依然存在的繁重工作。
威廉姆斯 实际上不得不摒弃许多陈旧的系统和流程，才能成为一支现代的 F1 一线车队。前 迈凯伦 成员 Piers Thynne 是几名关键新员工之一，与一些来自 Vowles 老 东家 梅赛德斯 的员工一起，负责监督这一转型。
威廉姆斯 上一次登上领奖台是 塞恩斯 在 2025 年卡塔尔大奖赛上。
在希望展示持续进步（包括下个月阿塞拜疆大奖赛带来的重大赛车升级）的同时，Vowles 明确表示，转型不会很快完成。“我们不可能在 12 个月内修好 威廉姆斯。那不可能发生。我们不可能在一年之内挖出并解决每一个问题。”
“不过，我们将确保我们做出的每一个决定，都是为了我们长期成功而做的正确决定。”Vowles 补充道。
“我们向Carlos展示的是今冬发生的一切，我们现在为解决这些问题正在做的一切，由此实现转变后的状态，以及未来的展望。
“这一点毫无疑问。我们远未达到我们想要的位置。我们有一辆超重、交付延迟且性能规格未达到我们期望的赛车。这些都是事实。Carlos想看到的，Alex也是一样，是我们正在做出的改变，这些改变向我们表明车队正处于正确的轨迹上。
“这是人员、流程、系统、结构多方面的结合，不是单一因素。这向他们表明我们正走在正确的道路上。
英文原文
Williams was "concerned about losing both" Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon before contract extensions
Williams Formula 1 chief James Vowles opens up on his fear the team's 2026 slump could have him cost him both of his drivers
Alexander Albon, Williams, James Vowles, Williams
Williams boss James Vowles admits the team's disastrous 2026 campaign made him worry about losing both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, before the pair re-signed for next year.
Williams received a shot in the arm earlier this week when both drivers pledged their future to the struggling outfit. Albon took up an extension for the 2027 season, while Sainz signed what was billed a "multi-year" contract extension to keep both drivers at Grove.
With the team languishing towards the back of the grid after a disastrous 2026 car project that exposed the team's procedural deficiencies, having both of its drivers commit their medium-term future to Williams was a much-needed boost for the team's staff. Not in the least for team principal Vowles, who had dug deep to convince Sainz to join his project in the first place in 2025, with the four-time grand prix winner becoming a cornerstone of his rebuild alongside long-time driver Albon.
But Williams' 2026 blip has been so severe that Vowles had genuine fears he could lose both drivers before reaping the rewards of his labour.
"[I was] concerned about losing both, because they are world championship material drivers that deserve the opportunity to be fighting for podiums or more," Vowles admitted in Zandvoort.
"We haven't delivered that. And more than that, we had a scope of where we were moving to. I hope there's no doubt in the outside world that over the last few years we've been slowly stepping forward with last year being a blip - I think too positive for where we were - but a step in the right direction.
"So, for us to move backwards isn't just a surprise to the drivers, it's a surprise to everyone. And that will always create risk that we lose them.
"What I'm thankful for is the moment we had problems, they stood by our side. It wasn't finger pointing, it was actually 'tell me what I can do'. And they both came into the factory, spoke to the whole organisation and gave them a lift. Carlos did the same and Alex did the same this week once they re-signed."
With Max Verstappen renewing his Red Bull deal and other top teams hanging on to their driver line-ups, any scope for either Sainz or Albon to make anything but a sideways move was limited. But Vowles was adamant that both drivers fully bought into the long-term project he has embarked on at what had long been an underfunded team.
"They want this to be a part of them that is here on a turnaround of this organisation. And I'm thankful for that. But it's also an indication of what we've shown them in the back end of what's happened and what we're doing about it.
"If they are re-signing, it will give you an indication that there's a lot of change ongoing, that they believe in what the future looks like. And that belief is incredibly important, whether it's for team members or for anyone in the outside world.
"That consistency is important because the team is really maturing and changing. And as much as you can keep consistent, especially in your driver line-up, it becomes desperately important in order to keep building on that."
Vowles said there was a "weight lifted" off the team's factory staff as news of the double renewal was communicated. But while it provided a welcome morale boost for a team that hasn't been anywhere near the points for months, that doesn't detract from the mountain of work that still lies ahead.
Williams effectively had to throw out a lot of its antiquated systems and procedures to become a modern frontline F1 operation. Former McLaren man Piers Thynne was one of several key hires made, alongside some of Vowles' former Mercedes staffers, to oversee that transition.
Williams last celebrated a podium with Carlos Sainz at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix.
While hoping to show consistent progress, starting with a major car upgrade at next month's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Vowles made it crystal clear that transformation won't be completed any time soon. "We're not going to fix Williams in 12 months. It's not going to happen. We're not going to dig out every single problem that's happened in one year.
"We will, however, make sure that every decision we're doing is the right one for our long-term success," Vowles added.
"What we demonstrated to Carlos is everything that happened this winter, everything that we are doing right now to fix it, the corner that we've turned as a result of it and what the future looks like.
"And there's zero doubt about it. We are way off where we wanted to be. We have a car that was overweight, late and not to the performance specification that we wanted it to be. So those are just facts. What Carlos wanted to see, and Alex for that matter as well, is the changes that we are making that show us that there's the right trajectory.
"It's a combination of people, processes, systems, structures. It's not one thing. And it shows them that we are on the right path."
Motorsport.com ·
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