Two Williams in Q3. It hasn’t happened since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix and it could happen again soon, given the recent performances of the Grove team. The FW45 made an impressive leap in performance with Canada’s upgrade package, but that didn’t cure all of the design’s woes. The Williams is a car lacking in downforce and therefore in aerodynamic resistance, a defect which turns out to be an advantage on the fastest tracks. However, Zandvoort is one of the most heavily loaded tracks in the World Championship, where therefore playing the best qualifying of the year went beyond the most optimistic forecasts.
Trust beyond the load
“This is one of the worst circuits for the FW45”, predicted Albon in no uncertain terms on the eve of the Dutch away match. Williams has its main strength in low drag and top speed. It is no coincidence that the team scored in the points at Montreal and Silverstone, missing the appointment with Spa instead. The speed on the straight is, however, the daughter of a lack of aerodynamic load, making the most popular circuits such as Zandvoort prohibitive on paper.
On the shores of the North Sea, however, Williams appeared at ease right from the first free practice session, in dry, mixed and wet conditions and above all with both drivers. The Dutch one is one of the most technical tracks on the calendar, requiring the riders to have great confidence in the middle in order to push to the limit. The double access to Q3 tells of a FW45 which, net of its problems, proved to be very predictable for Albon and Sargeant, enhanced by an effective set-up right from the first laps.
Williams’ picture is emblematic of how trust in the car can prove to be more profitable than having high load values. The thought is confirmed by the statements of Alexander Albon: “I think when you have these kinds of conditions, it’s not all about peak load. It’s about having a drivable car and at the very least and ours has been all weekend. This is my explanation. It’s no secret then that we don’t normally do well on highly loaded circuits.” However, the lack of downforce in the race could paradoxically work in favor of Albon, who will be able to exploit the speed of the FW45 on the straight to defend the position from his pursuers.
Progress in the slow
The result of the Dutch qualification tells of the important progress made by Williams with the latest updates. Already at Silverstone there was an inkling of a general improvement in the medium-low mileage corners, which were particularly abundant at Zandvoort. Partial confirmation also comes from the words of the competition, who carefully monitored the growth of the Grove team through GPS data analysis.
“For some time now Williams has confirmed that he has done important things steps forward in medium-slow curves”, the comment of the McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. “For us it was very clear. We weren’t surprised when we saw Albon and Sargeant being very fast already on Friday. They must have done a good job developing it.” An increasingly competitive Williams, therefore, whose performances are no longer a surprise.
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