F1 2024 a “missed opportunity” for Williams

Alex Albon says the 2024 Components 1 season seems like a “missed alternative” for Williams because it dropped to ninth within the standings.

Williams began the season on the again foot with an obese FW46 and whereas loads of effort went into taking the burden out once more, that additionally impacted its replace schedule. The Grove-based workforce solely added one vital two-part replace to the automobile proper after the summer season break.

That gave Williams a quick window of competitiveness within the midfield earlier than rival groups edged forward once more, with a spread of pricey operational errors and crashes additional denting the workforce’s possibilities to maneuver up.

Albon feels the workforce ought to have scored many extra factors at the beginning of the marketing campaign, one thing that might have given it a sensible probability to battle Alpine, Haas and RB, which might have been potential with a automobile that had been launched on the burden restrict slightly than considerably above it.

“My common opinion is a sense of slightly little bit of a missed alternative,” he stated. “It is easy to deal with the latter finish of the season and the crashes, however realistically we began with an obese automobile. We should always have scored many extra factors initially of the yr. 

“We had one improve, which was improve, and we sort of had a center a part of the season that was respectable. The plan was all the time to deal with subsequent yr early and at that time loads of groups overtook us. So, if we had began off a bit stronger, like what the Astons did, had a peakier starting and trailed off on the finish, we might nonetheless have had a strong season, however we did not. 

“I feel our greatest interval was in that center of the season; Monza, Baku, sort of Singapore, that was the place our automobile was performing properly, and now everybody’s sort of caught up. However we have additionally simply had loads of dangerous luck and loads of points, loads of crashes to be honest. However in some ways, I really feel prefer it’s extra of a missed alternative initially of the yr than anything.”

For Albon, Williams’ bruising 2024 marketing campaign is simpler to tackle the chin given the plans workforce boss James Vowles has laid out to transfer the workforce out of its present plight for 2026 and past.

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs

“In the long run, I am not too upset. I am not right here for short-term success. I am right here for the long run, so I am pleased with it,” he added.

“Workforce principals can speak, however I feel it is fairly apparent the setbacks we have had this yr. We have been fairly public about it, and I feel James could be very trustworthy with the place we’re, displaying you the route and the steps again that we’re having to make in some locations to get into a greater place for the longer term. 

“He is very trustworthy with me as properly, very open with me, and we now have this open dialogue. Perhaps it’s taking a bit longer than we needed to, however I am glad we now have the aspirations to not simply be combating the forwards finish of the midfield. We wish greater than that, so we’re constantly sacrificing simply to get the upgrades.”