By: It had long been clear that the 2026 season would bring plenty of challenges, ever since the teams and the FIA began considering the new regulations years ago. There were opportunities, but also major unknowns. Now in September, with less than three months remaining in the world championship, we can begin to assess which teams have lived up to the promises they made compared with last season.
Mercedes were confident they would do a great job; it was written all over the faces of their engineers at the end of 2025. Although they were not making bold predictions at the time, they were certain they had done a great job. And, naturally, so were all their customers. Alpine have shown that their decision to temporarily move away from Renault power to engines from Stuttgart has paid off. After a difficult start, McLaren are gradually recovering and are fighting Ferrari for second place in the constructors' standings, while a major disappointment has undoubtedly come from Grove.
Williams, who repeatedly stated last year that the Mercedes power unit would allow them to make the step forward they had been pursuing for so long, now find themselves at the bottom of this select group. You will remember well Sainz's answers to those who asked whether he regretted no longer being part of Scuderia Ferrari.
From dream to collapse: broken promises
The start was disappointing. Due to mistakes made at the factory – with reports also pointing to infrastructure unsuited to the regulatory change – the team had to miss the first winter test in Barcelona, leading to problems that persisted into the start of the season, including an overweight car and a shortage of spare parts.
The ending, however, could take on almost horror-like shades when you think about it. Unlike Ferrari, who are indeed disappointing their fans but have always been consistent in their choices and, above all, have never made statements that overstated the car's potential, 2026 has left two teams in a particularly deep state of bitterness.
Aston Martin are without doubt the team that have disappointed the most. Major investment, no results. Alongside them, however, are Williams: big plans, no substance. Aston Martin's management, together with Honda, have got everything wrong and find themselves in this situation as victims of the poor choices made at the start of the year.
Vowles' bewildering indifference
The Grove team, on the other hand, have the advantage of being Mercedes-powered, with the best engine on the grid at their disposal, and failing to exploit it is certainly a rather serious matter. Team principal James Vowles arrived at Williams in 2023 and implemented an internal revolution that enabled the team to finish the 2025 world championship as the fifth-strongest force, behind only the top teams.
With the Mercedes power unit available, more was expected. Williams themselves expected more. Sainz expected more. Something went wrong over the winter, however, and the team have never recovered from it. Vowles had begun a cycle: from 2023 to 2025, significant progress had been made by a team always forced to manage its budget carefully just to make it through to the end of the year.
But then something did not work in 2026, and the worst part is not having made a mistake. Errors are allowed: everyone makes them, big and small teams alike. What is missing is accountability. For months, Vowles has done nothing but shift blame and problems onto the team, without taking on the responsibility that his role demands.
The team have shown they can respond in the past and they will respond again, but seeing Gasly's Alpine take pole at Monza while the Williams cars of Sainz and Albon fight Aston Martin and Cadillac in Madrid qualifying suggests that the blame cannot be placed solely on infrastructure. Especially as Vowles, having succeeded Jost Capito in 2023, has had plenty of time to prepare.
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