Alex Albon detailed a number of key enhancements that Williams made to its 2025 automobile that allowed the British squad to make its finest begin to a System 1 season in practically a decade.
After 5 races Albon and his new team-mate Carlos Sainz have scored 25 factors between them, which is eight greater than the Grove-based crew collected over the complete 2024 marketing campaign and marks its finest season begin since 2016.
A few of Williams’ short-term enhancements have been deliberate, enhancing key processes to keep away from a repeat of 2024’s automobile being delivered late and chubby, whereas others have been a by-product of wholesale adjustments commissioned by crew boss James Vowles to satisfy long-term objectives.
However what’s essential for Williams in a decent midfield battle is enhancing the FW47’s consistency, after coming from a lineage of automobiles that have been very peaky and delicate to wind. This allowed the 2025 automobile to compete on various kinds of circuits, whereas additionally making it simpler to drive.
“I feel that the most important factor for me is extra simply that the automobile is simpler to be on the restrict,” Albon defined as his crew heads into the Miami Grand Prix weekend in fifth place.
“It is much less snappy, extra predictable, much less delicate to wind adjustments and on the whole that makes you in a position to ship higher laps extra constantly.
“I nonetheless make the odd mistake right here and there, it occurs. However I really feel like I can do a greater job extra constantly as a result of the automobile is only a bit extra driveable.”
Alex Albon, Williams
Picture by: Peter Fox / Getty Pictures
Albon mentioned he’s barely shocked by the extent of Williams’ step in competitiveness, as a result of the automobile is outperforming what the squad’s growth instruments had predicted. “I used to be all the time actually assured that we have been going to make progress as a crew,” he added.
“I noticed the areas and the philosophy of the automobile altering, and the concepts we have been specializing in for this yr. We drove it on the simulator, and it was positively higher, however I feel we discovered extra tempo within the automobile than what the simulator instructed us it might be. That is fairly a uncommon and really constructive factor to have.”
However Albon reiterated that with the crew all however turning off the faucet for its 2025 growth, it should capitalise on its kind now earlier than midfield rivals deliver upgrades.
“Yeah, I really feel like there is a actually massive emphasis on us to attain factors proper now,” the Thai driver mentioned. “You do not know when the following improve goes to return on a rival crew. We’d not all the time be the fifth quickest automobile however we’re constantly there to attain factors.
“If this was a unique yr, I might simply let you know we’re not going to take our foot off the pedal and we will maintain specializing in upgrading the automobile, and that is not really the case this yr.”
Photographs from Miami GP – Thursday
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Filip Cleeren
System 1
Alex Albon
Williams
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