The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix left Williams with mixed feelings. If on one hand there have been many positives, at the same time the team has missed a good opportunity to score more points.
Albon started the weekend with the ninth fastest time in FP1, demonstrating an excellent feeling with the car that unfortunately has not evolved into a good position in qualifying, ending the session P17. During the race the Thai driver managed to climb to 13th position, but suddenly reported a brake failure over the radio and was forced to retire.
Reflecting on his weekend, Albon commented that it is not have been that tough and there are definitely a lot of positives to take from it, stating that “it’s the best the car has felt since my time driving at Williams”.
The positivity, however, is accompanied by frustration: knowing that you have an good car in your hand and not having been able to earn points surely leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.
“It was a frustrating day, as this weekend we felt really strong as a team and I’ve been really impressed with where the car is compared to where we were last year,” commented Albon.
“It’s been such a pleasure getting to drive the car and unfortunately when it mattered in qualifying, we couldn’t quite execute, followed by the issue in the race, so it’s frustrating as we could have scored points this weekend.
“I’d much rather be disappointed, knowing the car has got pace than just finishing at the back, so it’s a different kind of disappointment with lots of positives and the opportunity to turn it around and come back fighting.”
On the other side of the garage, Logan Sargeant passed the finishing line in 16th between the two McLarens. Unlike his teammate, the rookie found it more difficult to drive the car, mostly reporting grip problems.
“Today I struggled a bit more than yesterday. The first 30 laps or so were pretty good and then I just struggled there at the end to keep a hold of the tyres, we were losing a lot of grip.”
But despite the difficulties, the American feels satisfied, starting to be more and more familiar and confident with an F1 car.
“Nevertheless, we made it through another one and learned a lot. I definitely feel more confident ahead of the next race. I showed this weekend that on a difficult track I can be really quick, so I can take that going into Melbourne and hopefully replicate and keep improving.
“Over the past two races I’ve learned an enormous amount; I feel like everything is becoming more natural and I’m trying to get things to become second nature and keep implementing them. It’s not going to happen all at once, it’s more a case of constantly building and understanding better.”
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance, also echoed both drivers mixed feelings. On Albon and Sargeant’s races he commented:
“The pace was good today and Alex had a good chance of finishing in the top 10. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire with an issue in the mechanical brake system, which we will investigate and fix before the next race.
“This is a shame as a lot of good work was done here and in Grove on Friday evening to prepare the cars for the race.
“Logan’s race was compromised by the Safety Car, which left him with a lengthy stint on the Medium tyre and a defensive race against a close group of cars. He eventually lost a few places to faster cars but gave a good performance in his 2nd Formula 1 race.
“We can take a lot of positives away from this weekend but at the same time we missed a good opportunity to score some more points and we must make some improvements to succeed in a very tight midfield.”
Photo credit: Williams Racing
