Williams Tweaks FW47, Albon and Sainz Off to Strong Start

Williams has already refined its FW47, with Albon and Sainz expressing satisfaction after their initial runs in pre-season testing.

Williams F1 enjoyed a strong start to the 2025 season, completing 131 laps, split almost evenly between Alex Albon, who drove in the morning, and Carlos Sainz, who took over after the midday break. The Thai driver was pleased with a solid beginning to the three days of testing.

“It was a good day today. We still have a few things to work on, but our baseline car is quite reasonable,” Albon said. “That’s the purpose of testing—trying to understand the systems and seeing if there’s anything we need to fix. We’ve made some changes to the car, which is positive.”

“As a team, we’ve already had some opportunities to run the car this year, which is a good thing—but as drivers, we always want more time. Overall, it was great to be back on track!”

Carlos Sainz completed his first official day with Williams and had a solid Wednesday despite disruptions on track: “Overall, it was a positive first day for the team, especially considering the stoppages we had due to the power outage.”

“We managed to complete the run plan and logged a lot of laps, which is always the main objective on the first day. The first impressions are positive, but over the next two days, we will try to improve the car’s balance on both short and long runs.”

Dave Robson, Williams’ head of vehicle performance, reflected on the day’s running, the tricky track conditions, and each driver’s work: “It’s always good to finally get a new car on track and start understanding how its performance and characteristics compare to expectations.”

“We worked hard during the FW47’s development phase to address last year’s weaknesses and ensure the FW47 is competitive across a wide range of conditions.”

“Carlos’ feedback from driving last year’s car in Abu Dhabi confirmed that we had focused on the right areas, but it was only today that we could begin to understand whether that focus has paid off.”

“Conditions were cool with gusty winds throughout the day, and while they may not necessarily reflect the weather when we return for the Grand Prix next month, they provided a useful opportunity to push the car and assess its consistency.”

“The car ran reliably all day, allowing both drivers to gain valuable experience. Based on their feedback and the data collected over more than 700 km of smooth running, we will now plan the final two days of pre-season testing.”

“Carlos will continue in the car tomorrow before Alex takes over for the final day on Friday. Inevitably, there is still a lot of work to do in a short time, but we have made a strong start and are in a position to push the car further over the next two days.”