Alex Albon reveals Williams F1’s struggle against top teams, focusing on upcoming developments to close the performance gap.
Albon acknowledges that Williams F1 is trailing behind some of the competition, especially the top five teams. He is waiting to see how the gaps evolve depending on the issues managed on the single-seater.
“It’s clear that we are in the bottom five!” admits Albon. “The gap is about two-tenths, two and a half tenths, depending on the circuit, and I think that’s about it. So, we were in the middle of the pack.”
“I think we were a bit better in the race. We never really got to show it. I think we compromised slightly on engine issues and engine overheating, and slightly on strategy. But otherwise, that’s all.”
The Thai driver had hoped for better because he recalls that Williams has made significant progress, but so have the other teams: “It’s a bit frustrating because we took a big step, but everyone in the back of the pack took a big step and closed the gap, but everything is relative.”
Albon Optimistic Despite Williams F1’s Challenges
Albon doesn’t think the gap with the leading teams has evolved: “Normally, I would say no, but I was quite surprised. If you take between the tenth and 11th place, there was a 20-second gap in Bahrain. And that was compared to one car, Lance Stroll, who spun on the first lap.”
“But I don’t think there’s been growth. I rather think the midfield, the lower-tier teams, have closed up a bit more in the race, and the qualifying is very similar to last year.”
However, Williams has room for improvement, according to Albon, who notes that the team is expected to introduce several new developments in the coming weeks, delayed due to a challenging winter: “We are not far off, and there are improvements to come, which would certainly allow us to achieve a good Q3.”
“With all the delays with the car, we haven’t been able to put everything together. In a way, we’ll see how this year unfolds, whether we can catch up or not. I think that will be one of the biggest questions for us.”
“If we can catch up, then I think everything will be fine. But if we are still a bit behind, it will be a very similar year to last year, we’ll just have to make the most of the race and hope that a few retirements allow us to score points.”
Williams F1 Performance Gap. Williams F1 Performance Gap
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