In Brazil AlphaTauri managed to gain other valuable points which brought Williams’ advantage over the Faenza team to just seven points. Seven points which, with only two events remaining in view of the season finale, could prove to be fundamental on a financial level, given the economic difference that can be found between seventh and eighth place in the constructors’ standings.
AlphaTauri has made important steps forward since Singapore, bringing a further package of technical innovations that breathe new life into a car that, at the start of the world championship, often struggled to avoid the last positions on the grid. On the contrary, Williams interrupted the development of the FW45 relatively early, aiming with conviction at 2024, both in terms of the performance of the single-seater by eliminating some of the weak points of previous cars, and in terms of structures, because even on that front the team of Grove has some ground to make up compared to its opponents.
After scoring points in Mexico and the United States, where among other things Logan Sargeant achieved his first career top ten, Brazil held little satisfaction for Williams, who was never as fast as he would have liked.
Photo by: Williams
Alex Albon, Williams FW45
Some aspects had a negative impact on the performance of the FW45, such as the high temperatures of the asphalt which in both the sprint and Sunday’s race well exceeded 40°C, reaching peaks even above 50°C. For a car that has shown on several occasions to suffer from the high temperatures of the track, this aspect also affected the team in Sao Paulo, increasing the slipping of the tires which, in turn, as in a vicious circle, triggered overheating, reducing grip . It is no coincidence that Logan Sargeant was the only one together with the two Haas to focus on the medium compound in the sprint.
“The truth about Brazil is that for our car, for the conditions and the level of load we had, it was too hot, the tires slipped generating too much temperature, the balance was not ideal in the slow and fast corners. The result is that we were unable to put the tires in the right window with lower performance than the others. It’s disappointing, but we still have two races to fight for seventh place in the constructors’ championship,” explained the Williams Team Principal.
Although the FW45 showed good qualities in terms of aerodynamic efficiency on the long straight, so much so that it was able to fit a more powerful wing than its rivals, this was not enough to properly preserve the tires. Although with the necessary differences, this is not a very distant situation from that experienced by Mercedes which, despite having a very loaded wing, had the wrong set-up and suffered excessive wear of the rear tyres.
![FIA medical delegates assist Alex Albon, Williams FW45, after an accident at the start with Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23](https://cdn-8.motorsport.com/images/mgl/Y99eea8Y/s1000/fia-medical-delegates-assist-a-1.jpg)
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
FIA medical delegates assist Alex Albon, Williams FW45, after an accident at the start with Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23
Although Sargeant still had a good race overall, his best hopes of reaching the top ten were extinguished on the first lap, when Alex Albon was the protagonist of a contact with the two Haas cars, thus ending up against the wall. A missed opportunity because, if the Anglo-Thai driver had managed to get behind the two American single-seaters, perhaps tenth place under the checkered flag would not have been a mirage, especially bearing in mind that Esteban Ocon was the only to focus on a three-stop strategy.
Looking to the future, the next event will be the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a stage in which the Grove team believes it can perform well thanks to some specific elements that should adapt well to the car. On the one hand, due to the long straights, a very low load level will be required, more similar to that chosen for Monza or Spa, with the tests to be carried out in free practice to understand where the ideal compromise lies. However, in general on these very aerodynamically poor tracks, the Williams has often done well thanks to its qualities in terms of efficiency. Secondly, temperatures will be significantly lower than at recent Grands Prix and this should help reduce tire wear. However, with such low forecasts, given that we are talking about a maximum of 10°C as regards the asphalt, the opposite problem will be triggered, namely that of being able to warm the tires correctly.
“I think there are elements that suit our car well. The positive aspects are that, if you count the efficiency of the car in terms of wings, it is close to Monza, maximum Spa. We know on this level of wings, the car performed well. It will be difficult to see high temperatures, it will probably be 9 or 10°C having to run at night, and this will remove one of our Achilles heels. However, it will still be a new asphalt with a slippery surface. In Qatar we saw how the times changed over the weekend, also in terms of how the cars behaved. This creates opportunities but also risks at the same time. Certainly, compared to previous events, it could be a good opportunity to score points and increase the gap on AlphaTauri in the championship”, added the Williams Team Principal.
![Logan Sargeant, Williams FW45, in the pit lane](https://cdn-3.motorsport.com/images/mgl/6n98V3AY/s1000/logan-sargeant-williams-fw45-i-1.jpg)
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Logan Sargeant, Williams FW45, in the pit lane
Given that this will be an important opportunity for the British team to push AlphaTauri back into the standings, both drivers will be able to count on the most up-to-date package, as already happened in Brazil. Over the course of the year, Williams had to struggle with a shortage of supplies, which is why on several occasions Sargeant had been forced to race without the latest innovations, particularly on the front. Although the incidents had their impact, the Grove team was still able to prepare additional pieces for the season finale, so what happened in Brazil should not have significant repercussions.
“In Brazil both cars had the same specifications and it will be the same in Las Vegas. We worked on this aspect for the last part of the season, we thought this track was better suited to a certain type of package. The accidents have clearly impacted the quantities of supplies at our disposal, but we had already taken this aspect into account. So both will continue to have the same specification.”
Before focusing on Las Vegas, however, Sargeant will return to the factory, where he will work with his technicians to resolve the issues that triggered severe arm pain in Brazil. According to Vowles, this could be linked to the fact that, on the one hand, the track was anti-clockwise, as Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi will also be, and on the other to the driving position inside the car. For this reason, the American driver will carry out factory tests on the specimen used to do the seat tests: “We need to review his position inside the car, to make sure that he no longer has those pains at the end of the race. It’s not a problem that has arisen on other occasions, so we believe it’s something related to the fact that this circuit goes anti-clockwise and how the belts are positioned on his shoulders. Logan will spend some time in the example of the car we have here at the factory, in order to see the position of the belts and make changes so that this problem does not happen again.”
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