F1 News
This team wanted to move quickly towards Red Bull and McLaren, but 'at peace' with stepping back
- Ludo van Denderen
After a fine 2023, expectations were high at Williams. The British team might have hoped to take a further step forward in the current season, but for now Williams are in ninth place in the constructors' championship. Meanwhile, short-term miracles are not to be expected, as team principal James Vowles has been quite open: The focus is already largely on '26, when the new regulations take effect. So for Alex Albon, one of the two drivers, it will be biting through until then.
Difficult? Sure, it is, according to Albon in conversation with, among others GPblog. After all, every driver wants success now, not in a few years' time. So the Thai sadly sees how rival teams regularly put upgrades on their cars, while Williams is fairly reluctant to do so. "I'm still happy with what we're doing, what we're focusing on," Albon says.
'Top teams have broader foundations than Williams'
"Realistically, if you look at the top teams, they've got a very strong base, a strong foundation, which means every year, even if they start off weak, they always still come out strong. They have the power and the people in the right places to overturn any weaknesses that they had in their car, for example. So, yeah, you could start off, maybe, 2026 in a good place, a decent place, but if you don't have the right foundations, you'll never build from that.."
Four points have been collected by Williams. But the former teammate of Max Verstappen is not letting that discourage him. "I believe in the process we're doing. I do know it can mean a bit of short-term pain, but I'm okay with that," he concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi