System 1 driver defined that the staff’s delayed begin to the 2026 season uncovered weaknesses within the enterprise.
Delays with the FW48 pressured the Grove outfit to overlook non-public testing in Barcelona on the finish of January, which means it arrived at pre-season testing in Bahrain already a step behind its opponents.
Commercial
After battling an obese automobile within the opening three rounds of the season, Williams at the moment sits ninth within the constructors’ championship with two factors.
Throughout an interview with , Albon opened up concerning the frustrations inside the staff initially of the yr after coming off the again of a powerful 2025. The James Vowles-led staff completed fifth within the 2025 constructors’ championship, and Albon’s team-mate secured two podiums in Azerbaijan and Qatar.
“It was a little bit of a frustration for all of us, actually. If you consider how yearly it appears like issues are going ahead after which, as we acquired into this yr, it was wanting constructive, after which the previous few months earlier than we acquired going issues acquired delayed and one factor led to a different and immediately we have been actually on the again foot,” the Williams driver defined.
Commercial
“It is not the place I imagine we belong, however on the identical time, it is in some ways uncovered some areas that now we have been weak as a enterprise, and so we have to work out why this regulation change put us to date on the again foot.
Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
“From 2022 to 2025, the automobiles have been altering, clearly, the automobiles have been upgrading and getting higher, however the pressure on the staff while you do a regulation set is totally totally different, and as I mentioned, it simply uncovered some bottlenecks within the manufacturing facility.”
Commercial
When requested if lacking the Barcelona testing was a giant deal, the Thai-British driver added: “All of it issues. The dear observe time, particularly with the shortage of testing. Clearly, for us as nicely in FP1, FP2 and FP3, now, a lot of that point is spent on deployment and dealing on the software program mainly of the automobile.
“You may’t afford that many rake runs, aero testing runs. We do all these sorts of issues in a shakedown. We could not actually do a lot of it, so we nonetheless do it now. And I believe that is only a little bit of a residue of lacking testing.”
To learn extra Motorsport.com articles .
