Alexander Albon, a driver for Williams Racing, expressed his frustration with the lack of recognition for the significant progress made by the team’s 2024 Formula 1 car. Despite Williams’ strong performance in the previous season, finishing in seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship with 28 points, Albon believes that their improvements have been overshadowed by other teams’ advancements. He acknowledged that the gap between the leading teams and the rest of the field has widened, with four teams failing to score any points in the first two rounds. When asked about Williams’ position in the pecking order, Albon admitted that they are currently among the bottom five teams. He also mentioned that the performance difference between teams is approximately two to two and a half tenths of a second, depending on the track. Albon believes that Williams showed potential in the race but was hindered by engine issues, overheating, and compromised strategy. Despite the frustrations, Albon acknowledged that all the teams in the lower field have made significant progress, making the competition more challenging.
When asked about the possibility of the top five teams extending their lead from last season, Albon expressed surprise. He acknowledged that there was a significant time difference between the 11th and 10th positions in Bahrain, approximately 20 seconds, but attributed this to a crash by Lance Stroll on the first lap. Albon believed that the midfield teams had closed the gap in the race, while qualifying remained similar to the previous year.
Given the time constraints faced by Williams in assembling their FW46, Albon remained hopeful that upcoming developments could help the team narrow the margin. He mentioned that there were updates and upgrades for the car that had yet to be implemented due to delays. Albon emphasized the importance of catching up and acknowledged that it would be a determining factor in their performance. If they managed to bridge the gap, Albon believed they would be in a good position. However, if they still lagged behind, it would be a challenging year where they would have to make the most of each race and rely on other drivers’ retirements to score points.