Williams’ year-on-year progress is second only to Aston Martin: Alex Albon
Albon praises Williams' "slippery" car design, highlighting their significant progress from the last season
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Aston Martin and Williams (Credits; Autoweek)
After a rough stretch in 2022, Williams seemed to have made great strides in 2023. Alex Albon‘s tenth-place result in the season’s first race in Bahrain earned the team a point. Albon currently claims that Williams is the second-best team in terms of progress since 2022. Regarding year-on-year progress, he feels the team is only behind Aston Martin, who finished third in the race.
Speaking to the media after the race, Albon said, “I am sure that everyone is looking at Aston Martin right now on the podium and thinking: ‘What a step they’ve done.’ But we are second. Where you look at us from last year to this year, in this position 12 months on, we’ve done an amazing job, and of course, we’re reliable and that helps, but we’ve got points at the first race.”
It’s worth mentioning that Aston Martin’s progress was noticeable both during testing and throughout the weekend. On Saturday, the team qualified fifth and eighth on the grid. Despite a poor start and a collision with his teammate, Alonso drove a superb race, passing both the Mercedes and Carlos Sainz‘s Ferrari to clinch third place on the podium. Aston Martin finished seventh in the standings last season and is currently comfortably second.
Albon believes Williams has a “different character” in car design that can help them succeed
When comparing their car to Aston Martin, Albon believes that Williams has a “different character” in car design that could help the team in the long run. He said, “We know in terms of downforce, we know where our advantage is, we kind of have a different character to most people: we are slippery on the straights and less quick in the corners. But we are making it now – and we’ve got to do what is good for our car right now until we dial out some of characteristic problems. That’s going to take possibly a little bit longer, but for now, the short term, we know where we can improve, that’s there’s lap-time we can get out of it.”
The Thai driver’s statements imply that Williams has identified their strengths and faults and are attempting to enhance them. The English team finished bottom in the rankings in 2022, with only eight points, but early indications from 2023 are encouraging. The new car appears to be in the middle of the pack, and Albon’s point-scoring performance in Bahrain has given the team a boost.
Although the team has lost key personnel in the off-season, including team manager Jost Capito, technical director FX Demaison, and Head of Aero David Wheater, Albon remains optimistic about the team’s future. He said, “We need to address our weaknesses, that is the main thing. But we are making it now – and we’ve got to do what is good for our car right now until we dial out some of characteristic problems. That’s going to take possibly a little bit longer, but for now, the short term, we know where we can improve, that’s there’s lap-time we can get out of it.”
Albon’s comments indicate that Williams is on the right road and making strides in his growth. While Aston Martin has taken a bigger stride forward, Albon feels Williams is the second-best squad in terms of year-on-year progress. Williams might be a team to monitor in the approaching races after a great finish in Bahrain and a thorough grasp of their car’s strengths and flaws.
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Justin P Joy
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