Williams had a bad weekend in Spain, as it had the slowest vehicle on one of F1's most aero-dependent tracks.
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It was impossible to disguise its aerodynamic flaws by Williams, as seen by its different performance levels in the recent Formula One doubleheader in Spain and Monaco. Williams had a bad weekend in Spain, as it had the slowest vehicle on one of F1’s most aero-dependent tracks. The Williams vehicle was substantially stronger at a circuit where the mechanical package is a greater part of the issue, despite the fact that the Monaco Grand Prix weekend did not go well for the team.
Without the first red light in qualifying, Alex Albon would have likely advanced to the second round, as he showed flashes of good speed before quitting. Despite Williams’ problems in Monaco, it was evident that the car’s fundamental performance was stronger than it had been in Spain – much better than the lap times relative to the front imply. “It’s a bit difficult to hide from that having had the contrast of Monaco and Spain, which are probably the two complete opposite ends in terms of sensitivity to downforce,” said Dave Robson
Dave Robson is confident that performance increases will be accomplished, however when they will be realized depends on when the green light to begin producing the elements is given. Williams was expected to make a decision this week, but any enhancements would quite probably not surface until after the next Baku-Montreal doubleheader. Given that they’re both lower-downforce circuits, this is a natural approach. “There’s some good directions and bits that definitely would make the car faster, but we’re still just weighing up exactly when to commit that to manufacture.” revealed Robson.
Read more: Nyck De Vries impressed Williams with his FP1 outing in Barcelona
Williams has had to be cautious about porpoising issues, with Robson acknowledging that the vehicle might go faster if driven lower, but not in a sustainable manner. Williams, like its competitors, is working on an aerodynamic solution that will allow it to operate at a lower speed. “There are physical limits as to how low we can go. In Spain, if we lowered it further we would have triggered the porpoising and then typically it makes the car slower just because the drivers can’t see and the grip’s inconsistent because of that.” expressed the head of vehicle performance.
The next race in the F1 calendar is the Azerbaijan GP and the show begins at the Baku city circuit on 12 June.
