Formula 1: Will Williams and Red Bull bounce back in Miami? Carlos Sainz and Isack Hadjar are tempering expectations

There is some public pessimism that Red Bull and Williams will be able to make big strides forward at the Miami Grand Prix (4 p.m. ET Sunday, Apple TV).

Both teams have been incredibly disappointing through the first three races of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Williams has dealt with a car that is heavier than most of the field while rumors have swirled that Red Bull is facing similar issues.

A season ago, Williams was fifth in the constructors standings and the best of the rest outside McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

This year, Carlos Sainz’s two points are the only ones the team has scored so far. And he said Thursday that Williams won’t immediately be faster.

[Watch the Miami Grand Prix on Apple TV]

“I don’t think our position will change massively,” Sainz said at a pre-race news conference. “But hopefully it is the start of our road to recovery this year. But if you look at it relatively, if others bring big upgrades, we won’t be able to move up much relatively.”

The Miami Grand Prix is the first F1 race in over a month thanks to the Iran War. The conflict caused the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the 2026 schedule was reduced to 22 races.

Could the unplanned break help teams catch up to Mercedes? That’s one of the biggest questions heading to Miami. Thanks to no races in the month of April, teams up and down will be bringing upgrades to Miami after weeks of being able to study the data from the first three races of the season — all won in dominant fashion by Mercedes drivers.

However, Isack Hadjar also said that Red Bull’s updates aren’t going to immediately make the team a contender.

“I don’t expect to be fighting for a podium this weekend,” Hadjar said. “We are not the only team bringing upgrades, we think we will be stronger but we do not think it will solve all our problems.”