Williams skilled a season first on Saturday, as each Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto superior into Q3 throughout qualifying.
They adopted that with one other first for the 2024 Components 1 season, their preliminary double-points consequence.
Albon completed seventh and Colapinto eighth within the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, giving the staff their preliminary double-points results of the 12 months, and ten factors on the afternoon. The consequence propelled Williams forward of Alpine and into eighth place within the F1 Constructors’ Championship.
Following the race, the important thing figures praised the consequence.
“We determined to separate technique between the automobiles at present to maintain our choices open as Baku is many occasions an incident wealthy race,” described Sven Smeets, the staff’s Sporting Director, in Williams’ post-race report. “The race began properly for us, and we pitted Franco who began on the Medium tyre. As [Fernando] Alonso had pitted this freed up Alex who began on the Exhausting and he confirmed some nice tempo in his stint.
“When he began to wrestle together with his tires, we pitted him a bit sooner than deliberate onto the Medium. After overtaking [Nico] Hulkenberg and Franco, he began to chase Alonso who was a couple of seconds forward of him. He got here near Alonso however a couple of laps earlier than the tip the Medium began to wrestle so we determined to ensure we might go to the tip with the tire,” continued Smeets. “Franco did an ideal job holding [Lewis] Hamilton and [Oliver] Bearman behind and, when a struggling Hulkenberg in entrance of him touched the wall, it introduced Franco into the factors.
“We had been settling for P9 and P10 till a late accident between [Sergio] Perez and [Carlos] Sainz moved us as much as P7 and P8,” added the Williams Sporting Director. “This was an ideal afternoon for the entire staff; we’ve been aggressive the entire weekend and have been rewarded with our first double factors end since final season’s U.S. Grand Prix. Now we’re trying ahead to going to Singapore the place we hope to carry the subsequent improve to the automobile.”
Albon known as the consequence “luxurious” in his post-race feedback.
“We all know how tough it’s to get P9’s and P10’s in races, so to get P7 and P8 is lush and we’ll take that! We’ve moved in entrance of Alpine now within the championship, which was our goal by the tip of the 12 months. It exhibits we’ve made good progress with the improve,” mentioned Albon. “It’s one other weekend once we’ve been just like the Aston on tempo and we’ve scored factors for the second race in a row. We had been a lot faster than we anticipated to be in comparison with the highest groups and it was good to be in that struggle. Let’s see subsequent week however, for this weekend, it’s been sturdy.”
Colapinto, having secured his first factors in F1 on his first stint in Baku as a driver at any degree, indicated he was “delighted” with the consequence.
“To attain my first factors in Components 1 is a unbelievable feeling. I’m so happy with this staff for what we’ve already been in a position to obtain collectively. I’m delighted to have factors on the board to point out for all of the arduous work and energy we’ve been placing in with it solely being my second race. We had good tempo at present being very near the Aston,” mentioned the rookie driver. “To complete seventh and eighth alongside Alex means we’re now P8 within the Constructors’ Championship which is an efficient step ahead and a motivator for the staff. We nonetheless have to continue learning and bettering collectively because it’s a protracted season with many races left. I’m trying ahead to racing in Singapore for the primary time subsequent weekend.”
