Big ambitions for Williams at the end of the season and one position gained in the standings

It’s a weekend that won’t be forgotten soon by Williams. The British team has simply scored its maximum points in a race since James Vowles took over last year, with Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto finishing in seventh and eighth positions, respectively, the latter discovering this circuit for the first time. The team’s sporting director, Sven Smeets, wanted to praise the work done by the two drivers, who managed to execute their two strategies perfectly, with the Thai driver starting on hard tires while the Argentine had initially opted for medium tires.

Two strategies perfectly optimized by the pilots.

« We have decided to split the strategy between the cars to keep our options open, as Baku is often a race rich in incidents, said the Belgian engineer. « As Alonso had pitted, that freed up Alex, who started on the hards and showed a good pace in his stint. When he started to struggle with his tires, we brought him in a bit earlier than planned for the mediums. He closed in on Alonso, but a few laps before the end, the mediums started to struggle. So, we decided to make sure we could make it to the end with the tires. » The Belgian also had very high praise for his very young driver Franco Colapinto, a former Formula 2 regular, who managed to maintain a consistent pace throughout the Grand Prix and was able to be opportunistic when Sainz and Perez collided.

Franco did an excellent job in keeping Hamilton and Bearman behind him, and when Hülkenberg, struggling in front of him, touched the wall, it allowed Franco to get into the points. We were set to settle for ninth and tenth places until a late-race accident between Perez and Sainz moved us up to seventh and eighth places. It was an excellent afternoon for the whole team. Also, comments made by the boss of the Grove team, who highlighted the efficiency of his two drivers, who made no mistakes during the race, despite the battles they had to fight. However, for the former member of Mercedes, this result is only the first step. The Briton believes that the progress made by the team in several races now should allow them to score even more points before the end of the season.

High goals at the end of the season.

« You can see now that at Zandvoort, Monza, and here, we were able to qualify the car for Q3, and this weekend, both cars were there. As for the race itself, […], the car’s pace was more or less there.
» With ten points scored in a single weekend, Williams achieves its best performance since George Russell’s podium at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. A second consecutive points finish, two drivers now capable of scoring points, and new upgrades that make the car more competitive, give Williams’ end of season an interesting look.

Now eighth in the constructors’ championship, ahead of Alpine, the British team does not seem to want to stop. With only 13 points behind Haas and 18 behind Racing Bulls, Williams could create a surprise at the end of this season by surpassing these two teams, especially as it is heading to circuits that suit the car, such as Qatar or Las Vegas. The team created by Frank Williams seems to be riding a positive wave, which gives a lot of hope for the future of the brand as early as this season, as explained by James Vowles: “Heading to Singapore now, I am excited to see what we can achieve there and beyond. There are still many opportunities in this championship.”