Are Williams finally on their way back?

Austria - promising signs

A track in which its drivers spend 65% of the lap at full throttle, its nature played into the hands of the low downforce Williams, which was evident over the weekend. 

Friday saw the highly impressive Alex Albon reach Q3 for a third time this season, qualifying in 10th for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Thai-Brit did well to take advantage of the lap time deletions of his competitors, keeping it in the lines to start in the top 10.

After a quiet Sprint Saturday for Williams, their focus lay on the Grand Prix. After avoiding trouble at the start, it became evident both cars would be in the hunt for points for the first time of the year. All race long Albon battled the likes of Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen for P10, where he stayed until the fresh tyres of Stroll were enough to take the last point scoring position off him, as he finished in 11th. 

As for rookie Logan Sargeant, who has struggled to find his feet in F1 thus far, he achieved his best finish since the opener in Bahrain, crossing the line in 13th. It was Sargeant’s first race with the new upgrade package on the car,  and he was unfortunate to have just one practice session before qualifying due to the nature of the Sprint weekends. Despite this, he climbed five places from P18 to edge his way closer to his first points in F1.

If Canada’s P7 finish for Alex Albon wasn’t enough to suggest upwards trajectory, the positive performances of both cars at the Red Bull Ring certainly do that.

Going into Silverstone

Under the guidance of new Team Principal James Vowles, Williams sit well within reach of Haas and Alfa Romeo in 7th and 8th respectively, as their drivers continue to grow in confidence. 

The British Grand Prix holds history for the team like nowhere else, with a special livery in the pipeline to celebrate their 800th Grand Prix. While they only sit on 7 constructors points up to now, that number is four more than this time last season and just two less than their final 2022 total. 

Alex Albon will be looking to rectify his weekend last time out at Silverstone after being caught up in a lap one incident that ended his race. With his form going into this year’s event, he’ll expect to be in and around the points for sure.

Logan Sargeant may see himself as a dark horse for the British Grand Prix, given his fond memories of 2022. The American put his name in lights after becoming the first of his country to win a Formula 2 Feature Race at the circuit, dominating the weekend by securing both his maiden pole and victory in the series. 

This time out, he will be thankful for the return of the regular Grand Prix weekend, which will see him get a further three sessions of practice with the new upgraded Williams underneath him. Sargeant has his best chance yet to secure points for the team, or at least put pressure on his teammate’s competitors around the top ten.