The Williams Database Winter Challenge 2026
Now in its ninth year, The Williams Database Winter Challenge is a bit of fun for the off-season. For 10 weeks between the 2025 and 2025 F1 seasons from 10th December 2025 – 11th February 2026, there will be one Williams related question for you to answer a week.
Questions will be posted here every Wednesday at 8 AM GMT (ish!) – you have 24 hours to submit your answer using the form below so no need to rush. Everyone who gives the correct answer within 24 hours of positing the question will get ten points. The person with the most points at the end of the competition will win. If more than one person has the same number of points at the end there will be a quick-fire tie-break round.
So that means to be in with a chance you have to answer as many questions as you can over the ten weeks but you don’t need to rush to answer.
What you can win
This year there is a bumper prize on offer that includes:
- The Art of War book by Adam Parr, signed by the author
- Reviva coffee pods in a Williams sleeve
- Duracell/Williams Racing key ring
- LEGO minifigure Williams model
- Lanyard from the 2025 car launch at Silverstone.
The competition is open to anyone, anywhere as I will post on to you. I’ll pay for postage but you will be responsible for any import duites – sorry!
Current Positions
This Week’s Question
There wasn’t a clear winner so the top four were asked a tie-break:
Since the team was formed in 1977 how many times has a Williams driver finished in 10th place
The answer I have from my own database is 60:
| Year | Round | Country | Driver | Finish Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 7 | Belgian Grand Prix | Patrick Nève | 10 | 0 |
| 1977 | 10 | British Grand Prix | Patrick Nève | 10 | 0 |
| 1978 | 6 | Belgian Grand Prix | Alan Jones | 10 | 0 |
| 1979 | 1 | Argentine Grand Prix | Clay Regazzoni | 10 | 0 |
| 1981 | 8 | French Grand Prix | Carlos Reutemann | 10 | 0 |
| 1981 | 14 | Canadian Grand Prix | Carlos Reutemann | 10 | 0 |
| 1983 | 10 | German Grand Prix | Keke Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 1989 | 3 | Monaco Grand Prix | Thierry Boutsen | 10 | 0 |
| 1989 | 8 | British Grand Prix | Thierry Boutsen | 10 | 0 |
| 1998 | 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Jacques Villeneuve | 10 | 0 |
| 1999 | 4 | Monaco Grand Prix | Ralf Schumacher | 10 | 0 |
| 1999 | 15 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Alessandro Zanardi | 10 | 0 |
| 2000 | 6 | European Grand Prix | Jenson Button | 10 | 0 |
| 2004 | 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Ralf Schumacher | 10 | 0 |
| 2004 | 10 | French Grand Prix | Marc Gené | 10 | 0 |
| 2005 | 5 | Spanish Grand Prix | Nick Heidfeld | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 14 | Turkish Grand Prix | Mark Webber | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 15 | Italian Grand Prix | Mark Webber | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 17 | Japanese Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 3 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 6 | Canadian Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 7 | United States Grand Prix | Alexander Wurz | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 17 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Kazuki Nakajima | 10 | 0 |
| 2008 | 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2008 | 10 | German Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | Italian Grand Prix | Kazuki Nakajima | 10 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 3 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 10 | British Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 12 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 15 | Singapore Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 17 | Korean Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2011 | 12 | Belgian Grand Prix | Pastor Maldonado | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 8 | European Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 13 | Italian Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 17 | Indian Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 19 | United States Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2013 | 10 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Pastor Maldonado | 10 | 1 |
| 2014 | 18 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 10 | 1 |
| 2015 | 4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 3 | Chinese Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 8 | European Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 13 | Belgian Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 17 | Japanese Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 9 | Austrian Grand Prix | Lance Stroll | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 10 | British Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 16 | Japanese Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 20 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Sergey Sirotkin | 10 | 1 |
| 2019 | 11 | German Grand Prix | Robert Kubica | 10 | 1 |
| 2021 | 15 | Russian Grand Prix | George Russell | 10 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 | Australian Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
| 2022 | 14 | Belgian Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
| 2023 | 18 | United States Grand Prix | Logan Sargeant | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 19 | United States Grand Prix | Franco Colapinto | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | Chinese Grand Prix | Carlos Sainz | 10 | 1 |
| 2026 | 4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
Well done to everyone that took part this year!
Here’s a reminder of the previous questions:
Previous Week’s Questions
Week Ten
At was, of course, Carlos at COTA, Austin.
Week Nine
As of the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Alex Albon has made 90 starts for the Williams F1 team.
He reached this milestone at the conclusion of the 2025 season, having joined the team in 2022. While he missed the 2022 Italian Grand Prix due to appendicitis (where Nyck de Vries filled in), he has otherwise been a constant fixture for the team.
Based on the 2026 F1 calendar, Albon’s 100th start for Williams is scheduled to take place at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix.
Week Eight
Here’s the answer from the official source:
Week Seven
The choices, all of which were pretty rubbish, were:
Alelos, Carlex, Bonsai, Carbon
Week Six
Christian Horner, remember him?
Christian Horner apparently called Vowles ‘The Reverand’. If you were being kind you might say that this is because of his calm demeanour but given that this is Horner we are talking about it is more likely a dig a Vowles’ preachy style. For what it is worth Vowles claims not to know why Horner calls him that.
Week Five
It was, of course, our very own Alexander Albon at the Canadian Grand Prix who was frustrated as he wasn’t pitted when he wanted to be.
Week Four
Here it is from the horse’s mouth! After only eight out of 24 races Williams beat their total from the previous three seasons which just show how dire the team had been in 2022, 23, 24. It was a stronger performance than anyone really expected and fingers crossed that carries over to 2026.
Week Three
Monaco 2025 was a mind-numbingly boring race due to the mandated two pit stops the FIA had brought in to improve the show 🤣. This led to drivers going very slowly, holding up other cars, in order to create a gap for their teammate to pit and then come back out into the same position they’d pitted from. RB and Williams were the worst offenders.
There are two possible answers to this question depending on whether you include pit-stops or not. I actually didn’t but as it was unclear and it’s Christmas after all I have decided to accept either. Therefore, the answers are either Albon, lap 32, 1:32.994 or without Albon, lap 9, 1:24.151. Anything approaching those answers will have got you the points.
Week Two
Albon lost his 4th position for failing to stay above the minimum lap time under the Safety Car. Unfortunately, as the field was bunched, this put him back to 11th and out of the points.
Week One
The answer was that the team didn’t realise that the FIA supplied wing monitoring cameras needed SD cards! Read more about this blooper here: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/williams-fined-eur50-000-after-camera-infringement-in-china.2DePgHFa27D5iyPmytUfj8
Thanks to C7Carl for his response which did make me chuckle “We forgot to stop off a duty free to pick up some SD cards for our onboard Go-Pros”
| Year | Round | Country | Driver | Finish Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 7 | Belgian Grand Prix | Patrick Nève | 10 | 0 |
| 1977 | 10 | British Grand Prix | Patrick Nève | 10 | 0 |
| 1978 | 6 | Belgian Grand Prix | Alan Jones | 10 | 0 |
| 1979 | 1 | Argentine Grand Prix | Clay Regazzoni | 10 | 0 |
| 1981 | 8 | French Grand Prix | Carlos Reutemann | 10 | 0 |
| 1981 | 14 | Canadian Grand Prix | Carlos Reutemann | 10 | 0 |
| 1983 | 10 | German Grand Prix | Keke Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 1989 | 3 | Monaco Grand Prix | Thierry Boutsen | 10 | 0 |
| 1989 | 8 | British Grand Prix | Thierry Boutsen | 10 | 0 |
| 1998 | 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Jacques Villeneuve | 10 | 0 |
| 1999 | 4 | Monaco Grand Prix | Ralf Schumacher | 10 | 0 |
| 1999 | 15 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Alessandro Zanardi | 10 | 0 |
| 2000 | 6 | European Grand Prix | Jenson Button | 10 | 0 |
| 2004 | 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Ralf Schumacher | 10 | 0 |
| 2004 | 10 | French Grand Prix | Marc Gené | 10 | 0 |
| 2005 | 5 | Spanish Grand Prix | Nick Heidfeld | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 14 | Turkish Grand Prix | Mark Webber | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 15 | Italian Grand Prix | Mark Webber | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 17 | Japanese Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 3 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 6 | Canadian Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 7 | United States Grand Prix | Alexander Wurz | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 17 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Kazuki Nakajima | 10 | 0 |
| 2008 | 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2008 | 10 | German Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 10 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | Italian Grand Prix | Kazuki Nakajima | 10 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 3 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 10 | British Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 12 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 15 | Singapore Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 17 | Korean Grand Prix | Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 1 |
| 2011 | 12 | Belgian Grand Prix | Pastor Maldonado | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 8 | European Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 13 | Italian Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 17 | Indian Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 19 | United States Grand Prix | Bruno Senna | 10 | 1 |
| 2013 | 10 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Pastor Maldonado | 10 | 1 |
| 2014 | 18 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 10 | 1 |
| 2015 | 4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 3 | Chinese Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 8 | European Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 13 | Belgian Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 17 | Japanese Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 9 | Austrian Grand Prix | Lance Stroll | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 10 | British Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 16 | Japanese Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2017 | 20 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Felipe Massa | 10 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Sergey Sirotkin | 10 | 1 |
| 2019 | 11 | German Grand Prix | Robert Kubica | 10 | 1 |
| 2021 | 15 | Russian Grand Prix | George Russell | 10 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 | Australian Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
| 2022 | 14 | Belgian Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
| 2023 | 18 | United States Grand Prix | Logan Sargeant | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 19 | United States Grand Prix | Franco Colapinto | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | Chinese Grand Prix | Carlos Sainz | 10 | 1 |
| 2026 | 4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Alexander Albon | 10 | 1 |
