Alex Albon Discusses Major Issue with Williams FW47 Setup

As the 2023 Formula 1 season reaches its midpoint, Thai-British driver Alex Albon has identified a significant challenge with his Williams machinery. In an interview with Motorsport.com and other media outlets on Thursday, Albon revealed that the team is forced to compromise their setup at each track.

Team’s Setup Compromises Performance

Despite a promising start to the season where the Grove team has emerged as a strong midfield contender, Albon believes there’s more potential to be unlocked from the FW47. The current limitation is the car’s operating window, which restricts the team’s ability to extract optimal performance.

Yes, to be quick with this car, it needs a certain setup,” Albon explained. “It’s not always the most comfortable setup. It’s clear that there are a couple of corners on each track where we are relatively weak compared to the midfield. I think we’re producing good downforce.

The fundamental issue affecting the team’s performance, according to Albon, is balance problems in certain corners. However, addressing these issues often requires compromises elsewhere in the lap, creating a narrow operating window for the team each weekend.

Performance Improvements with Carlos Sainz Joining Team

Alongside former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz joining the team for the 2025 Formula 1 season, the team has shown substantial improvement over their 2024 performance. According to team principal James Vowles, this progress is due to “low-hanging fruit” developments in both the car and infrastructure.

Albon used the recent Japanese Grand Prix as an example to illustrate the jump in performance: “We were really weak in two corners around the lap, but on the rest of the lap, we’re actually not far away from the top teams. But we can’t get one without the other, so…

The addition of Sainz to the team has been beneficial, allowing them to leverage his extensive experience from his four-year tenure with Scuderia. “So far though, it’s a huge step from last year,” Albon confirmed. “The windows that we’re talking about are much less, but they’re still there. And I think that’s partly where Carlos and I are on the same page.