At the finale in Abu Dhabi, Williams managed to bring home a seventh place which was of enormous significance, both from the point of view of team motivation and from a financial one, because it allowed an increase in revenue for the team. Furthermore, this also represents a great opportunity for James Vowles, who will be able to present himself to the management of Dorilton Capital to request more funds to strengthen the team with undoubtedly encouraging results.
At the basis of this excellent seventh place, thanks to which it was able to beat AlphaTauri, Sauber and Haas, there are two fundamental elements, namely a good car and a driver who was able to integrate well into the team by making the most of the package put in place. disposition. In fact, overall the FW45 proved to be a good single-seater, easy to manage but above all with strengths and weaknesses that were easy to understand, in particular for Alex Albon. The Anglo-Thai won 27 of the 28 points obtained by the team, placing in the top ten seven times.
Albon started in the top six at Zandvoort, Monza and Las Vegas, although there are some regrets, such as the mistake being the spin in Australia, or the first lap accidents in Japan and Brazil with the two Haas. The big surprise was undoubtedly the Dutch race, because few expected such a competitive FW45 on a highly loaded track, but that weekend, in which Logan Sargeant managed to get into Q3 for the first time, confirmed the goodness of the British car. Albon was also fighting for the top ten in Singapore, but a contact with Sergio Perez effectively put him out of the fight.
Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images
Alex Albon, Williams FW45, Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523
In other events, the Anglo-Thai managed to make the qualities of the single-seater on long stretches its strong point, as for example in Great Britain or Las Vegas, although no major points were achieved on American soil in as negatively affected by the phenomenon of graining on the tyres. On other tracks, such as Sakhir, Monza or Montreal, the car's performance on the stretches was fundamental in achieving outstanding results.
The Canadian event is significant not only for the way in which seventh place was achieved, but also because it was one of the first races in which the potential of the FW45 emerged with the new package of updates. Beyond the peculiarities of the car, after the race Vowles also praised the work of his driver, who during the race managed to change his driving style in such a way as to obtain the maximum in the traction phase, as in turn ten, making up for also due to the failure of a sensor for managing tire temperatures.
Instead of following the ideal trajectory, the Anglo-Thai tended to lengthen the braking, so as to be able to get the most out of the exit with a better contact patch from the tyres. In fact, observing the telemetry data, in the first part of the straight leading to the final braking section Albon was able to pull away from his rivals behind him, taking that small advantage necessary to repel the attacks with the DRS. In that case, what also played in favor was the strategic decision to diversify the race tactics compared to one's opponents, saving the time of a stop to focus on an entirely defensive race.
![Comparison in the race between Albon and Ocon, you can see how the Anglo-Thai changes trajectory to favor the traction phase](https://cdn-3.motorsport.com/images/mgl/2jX9qjE6/s1000/confronto-albon-ocon-gp-del-ca-1.jpg)
Comparison in the race between Albon and Ocon, you can see how the Anglo-Thai changes trajectory to favor the traction phase
Albeit in a slightly different way, the Grove team also applied the same principle to Monza. If in Montreal the idea of ​​the single stop was born only with the passing of the laps, almost like an opportunity created by the episodes, on the Brianza track the strategy had been prepared, studied and put into action thanks to a perfect reading of the race scenarios , both before and during the race. In the first stint, apart from a brief duel in the very early stages after the traffic lights went out, Alex Albon carried out his task perfectly, taking advantage of the high top speeds of the FW45 to keep the two MCL60s at bay, which in turn they had to pay attention to Lewis Hamilton, ready to take advantage of it later in the race thanks to the alternative strategy.
The decisive moment was the first pit stop. Precisely in the moments in which Oscar Piastri was able to close the gap under second by being able to activate the mobile wing, the Grove team reacted promptly, anticipating the stop. Although this would have pushed Albon to carry out a very long second stint, this decision would have at least avoided any attempt at an undercut by his opponents, exposing him again to an all-defensive race.
Despite multiple attempts, the McLaren drivers were unable to make the decisive overtake, partly due to the difficulties in following at the Parabolica, partly because they did not have a sufficient speed delta even at DRS to carry out the manoeuvre. Added to this was the fact that, after several attempts, the MCL60 showed a rather marked derating, having to wait to recharge the batteries.
![The differences between Albon and Norris in the second stint. The speed difference even with DRS open was not sufficient to overtake. Furthermore, the McLaren driver struggled to keep up at the Parabolica, always coming out behind.](https://cdn-9.motorsport.com/images/mgl/0rGDdXW2/s1000/confronto-telemetrico-gara-mon-1.jpg)
The differences between Albon and Norris in the second stint. The speed difference even with DRS open was not sufficient to overtake. Furthermore, the McLaren driver struggled to keep up at the Parabolica, always coming out behind.
Looking back over his season, Albon said he was clearly satisfied with what he showed during this championship, in which he assumed the undisputed role of leader within the team: “I am very proud of my performance. I am not the most arrogant, but I give myself credit for having a very good season. I felt like most of my races weren't easy, there were races where we fought and fought again the whole time.”
“But I like it. I feel like this is the environment I feel best in. For me it was the best year in F1. The bond I have with the team helped me a lot. I feel like this was the year where we were able to execute everything we did so well.”
However, Albon himself acknowledged that the car's form had been inconsistent during the season, having performed best mainly on low-load tracks. Nonetheless, the English driver wanted to underline the progress made by the team also in the management of the race weekend: “It's strange, because many think that we are very distant, but personally I think that the execution of each weekend has been very consistent. The car itself is quite unfriendly. We know that Monza and the Las Vegas track are good for us. We know that cold tracks are good for us”, he explained, underlining how often this year the FW45 has shown some signs of difficulty in managing the tires on tracks with very high asphalt temperatures.
![Alex Albon, Williams FW45, gets out of his car after the accident in Australia](https://cdn-2.motorsport.com/images/mgl/YEQnz45Y/s1000/alex-albon-williams-fw45-climb-1.jpg)
Photo by: Mark Horsburgh / Motorsport Images
Alex Albon, Williams FW45, gets out of his car after the accident in Australia
“We know which tracks are not good for us: those with a lot of wind are not good for us, the narrow ones are not good for us. Our car has had its moments of difficulty and one of our main objectives for the next year is to eliminate these weaknesses. But the execution by the team was very good, I think, and we made the most of the opportunities.”
“I have to say, on reflection, I've had a lot of fun moments this year. I think Melbourne was the only race where I felt like I'd missed an opportunity to score points. But in all the other races we've done this year, when we had the chance, we did it. And I think that was the main difference compared to our rivals. That's why I think we managed to get seventh place. When we had the car to do it , we made sure to score points. I think the others had a strategic or other error, losing points”, he added, referring to the mistake in Australia which occurred after a few laps, in which the Grove team had actually the potential to win important points.
Looking to the future, Albon is keen to see what new technical director Pat Fry will contribute to the FW46, which will also be the first car designed under the guidance of Team Principal James Vowles. There are great expectations for the new car, also because the team sacrificed part of the development of the FW45 to focus on 2024.
![James Vowles, director of the Williams Racing team](https://cdn-8.motorsport.com/images/mgl/63vnNZgY/s1000/james-vowles-williams-racing-t.jpg)
Photo by: Williams
James Vowles, director of the Williams Racing team
“Time will tell. Obviously he's just joined the team and I think he's settling in very quickly. I feel like he's understanding what are the areas where we need to improve and he's going to offer guidance to the team. So I'm very happy with have him on board.
“And I think that this year we sacrificed a lot to focus on next year's car, we didn't bring updates for a long time compared to our rivals. And this can only be a good thing. We did the bare minimum to finish in seventh position. Now let's think about next year. Obviously we have Pat on board and for James it will be the first real year where he will have real leadership in the development of the car. So let's see.”
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