Alex Albon voiced optimism after Williams F1’s Bahrain testing, highlighting resolved past issues and acknowledging new challenges ahead.
Alex Albon expressed satisfaction after Williams F1’s first morning of testing, noting that the team’s main issues from last year’s Bahrain track had been largely addressed. However, he acknowledged encountering new challenges in return.
“It’s early days, we’re addressing the issues with the car, as some turns were the worst for us and they seem to be better now. But as a result, we’re dealing with other issues, not problems per se, but balance compromises,” the driver stated.
“We have three days, which doesn’t seem enough, but we’re making progress. It was good, there was wind, it was hot, not always the most comfortable conditions to drive in, but the issues by the end of the session are now resolved.”
Indeed, he had to stop on track due to a mechanical issue that was identified and fixed: “I’m trying to understand the car, its limits, there’s still a way to go, understanding how different the car is. A fuel pump issue, and the car quickly went into safety mode.”
Albon is now studying teammate Logan Sargeant’s afternoon session: “I’ll be watching, seeing what Logan has to say. We did the filming day yesterday so we have an idea of how the car performs. But we’ll try to come back with a plan for tomorrow and Friday.”
“It’s better for problems to arise now”
James Vowles, Williams F1’s team principal, is glad the issue was resolved before the season starts: “This morning, we didn’t do performance runs. We started with heavy fuel loads, and you can’t perform with that.”
“He was then slowed by a problem that eventually stopped us on track. It’s something that didn’t happen during the virtual work week, but it’s better for the problem to arise now rather than next week, as there are no points at stake. It will set us back.”
The British executive experienced his first winter at the helm of the team and acknowledged the special moment when the FW46 hit the track, marking the start of a new era.
“Pride was the predominant feeling, and here’s why: Williams has been in a different situation in the past years, and we wanted to transform. To do that, you have to take huge risks. We changed the aerodynamics and the steering, the mechanics.”
“We didn’t change the chassis, but how we create the carbon fiber. And there was a lot of pride in seeing all that materialize. The filming day yesterday was the first time we saw that and it was a team affair.”
Williams F1 Targets Data-Simulation Alignment in Bahrain
Williams now aims to ensure their data matches the simulations: “With the car, we need to see if we’ve addressed last year’s balance issues, and if we can find performance. We need to ensure how the car correlates, and from that correlation, see what we change and how we change it.”
“The beauty of Bahrain is that we’ll be running in the sun and in the evening, similar to what we do on race weekends, and that will tell us how the car behaves in various conditions, giving us tools to better understand it.”
Williams F1 Bahrain Testing. Williams F1 Bahrain Testing
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