F1 | Williams: FW44 visibly different with updates

With the adoption of the new technical regulations by Formula 1, the Williams team hoped to be able to return to compete for more noble positions on the grid. But this did not happen.

So far the Grove team has collected just three points, all signed by Alexander Albon between the Australian and Miami Grand Prix. Then nothing more. The FW44 is proving to be one of the most disappointing single-seaters of this start of the season, despite adopting the Mercedes rear-axle – also in enormous difficulty compared to the past – although expectations were much higher.

Williams is currently in last place in the Constructors’ World Championship, 12 points behind Haas and Aston Martin who precede them. In this start to the season, the engineers of the British team have opted for a conservative approach with regard to the updates dedicated to the car, but now it is time to intervene.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams, explained that teams now “need to take full advantage of the money they spend” when introducing novelty packs due to the presence of the Budget Cap.

Alex Albon, Williams FW44

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Williams, as admitted by Robson himself, has not yet brought anything really important for the FW44, but has confirmed that the calendar linked to the introduction of the substantial innovations has been drawn up.

“Yes, we have decided, and now we are busy in the wind tunnel,” Robson said last weekend. “Now it’s just a matter of producing the first update pack. Hopefully we don’t damage the components, you have to be careful. The news pack is on its way. When we deliver it, we hope it will be clearer in the next few days.”

The most interesting part of what Robson said is related to the direction taken by the team as regards the development of the FW44: “We started from the front wing and worked towards the rear. I’m sure there are several ways to do it and we still don’t know which is the best. “

“As for the short term and the rest of this season, we are committed to a concept that will be visibly different from what we have seen so far,” concluded the Williams engineer.

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