Carlos Sainz has declared Williams' Miami upgrade as nothing less than "the car that was supposed to come to Race 1," signaling a turning point for the struggling team in the 2026 Formula 1 season. After a challenging start plagued by delays and excess weight, the Grove-based squad finally showed its true potential in Florida.

The Spaniard drove a determined race to secure ninth place, leading teammate Alex Albon across the line for Williams' first double-points finish of the campaign. This result lifted the team above Audi into eighth place in the constructors' championship—a much-needed morale boost after a difficult opening to the new regulations era.

The Miami-spec package focused primarily on shedding the extra kilograms that had been holding the car back since pre-season. Williams' delayed car build had forced the team to start the year on the back foot, but the upgrade has now put them where they always intended to be.

"We finally put on the upgrade that was supposed to come to Race 1," Sainz explained. "Because of all the delays at the beginning of the season, now we finally have the car that was supposed to be the Race 1 package. It's performing at least at the level of the midfield cars."

While the result brought a sense of relief, Sainz was quick to temper expectations. He noted that Alpine remained a significant 20 seconds ahead under normal racing conditions, with the gap to the frontrunners even more daunting. "It shows that when you do things right, things start to come together," he said. "But we need to put our heads down, make this the new baseline, and start improving."

For Williams fans and the team itself, Miami was a glimpse of what could have been—and a foundation for what's to come. As Sainz put it, "Getting two cars in the points on merit is definitely a good step. But we need to keep pushing, because it's still not where we expected to be."