(Motorsports news) Williams appeared to be headed for yet another challenging season as new team principal James Vowles started a massive overhaul of the seasoned backmarker. Williams is vying for scraps with its FW45, which lacks aerodynamic load in comparison to its rivals, even though that process will take several years. But like its predecessor, the 2023 car’s low-drag attributes also gave the team a few chances to win big on courses with little downforce.
And more so than the previous year, when Albon was limited to just four points during the entire campaign, the Anglo-Thai driver has been able to take advantage of the advantages of his vehicle. Albon earned six points for finishing seventh in Canada after earning just one point in Bahrain’s opening race, and he followed it up with another four points at Silverstone.
Alon has propelled Williams up to a joint seventh place with Haas on 11 points, three more points than the Grove scored the entire previous season, while rookie teammate Logan Sargeant is still scoreless. Albon acknowledged that 2023 had performed significantly better than he had anticipated. It’s been a really terrific year for us so far, I have to say, he stated.
“I don’t want to say too much, but it feels like we’ve come a long way from where we started in Bahrain to where we are today. “Williams may not be making as much progress as the McLarens, but we are making progress nonetheless. We are now tied for eighth place in the constructors’ championship. It’s doing well because if you had told me or anyone else on the squad that at the beginning of the year, we would have chewed off your arm.
Obviously, all we need to do is keep working and maintaining our focus. But I’m confident that as a group, we can take the summer off, enjoy it, and return revitalized. For the Canadian Grand Prix in June, Williams constructed a substantial upgrade that included a new floor and sidepod design. Due to a daring undercut strategy, Albon managed to finish an unusual 11th in the tight Hungaroring, giving the team a slight edge over cars that aren’t generally suited for that track.
Albon claims that the team’s confidence has increased since they now have a car that is more likely to compete for points on any given race weekend, as opposed to only dominating some of the low-downforce outliers on the schedule. Being in a position where you feel like you go to every race weekend knowing that you can compete for points is just amazing, and it just generates confidence and motivation for everyone on the team, he continued.
