# Williams team principal says no 2026 car upgrades

> Williams team principal James Vowles admits skipping 2026 car upgrades to save cost cap dollars for next year.
- Title: Williams team principal says no 2026 car upgrades · RaceFans
- Summary: Williams team principal James Vowles admits skipping 2026 car upgrades to save cost cap dollars for next year.
- Keywords: williams, cost cap, 2026 car, formula 1, james vowles, cost cap dollars, next year, RaceFans
- Source: RaceFans — https://racefans.net/2026/11/06/williams-has-not-upgraded-2026-car-to-save-the-cost-cap-dollars-for-next-year-vowles
- Published: 2026-11-06T17:30:57+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: williams, cost cap, 2026 car, formula 1, james vowles, cost cap dollars, next year, sports, cars
## Williams team principal says no 2026 car upgrades
Williams team principal James Vowles says the decision not to bring further upgrades for its car was "painful".

> Williams team principal James Vowles says the decision not to bring further upgrades for its car was "painful".
## Williams dropped to ninth in standings
The team which finished fifth in the world championship last year has sunk to ninth in the standings.
## Williams used 2026 chassis for 2027
Williams introduced a new chassis for both drivers at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but has not developed it to maximise potential under Formula 1’s budget cap.
## Williams saved cost cap dollars for next year
We’ve purposely not spent money on, we have more aero locked away in the wind tunnel that we have not brought to the track, really saving the cost cap dollars for next year.
## Williams focused on 2027 developments
The work we’ve been doing in Austin, the work we have done less so today, but more in Mexico, was preparation work for ’27 as well.
## Key takeaway

Williams team principal James Vowles says the team deliberately skipped 2026 car upgrades to save cost cap dollars for next year.