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(Source: Williams)
The Williams F1 team had a bad Formula 1 season this year. They initially seemed like they were the best midfield team but later lost their form due to back-to-back big crashes. Franco Colapinto was a promising talent, but he cost more to the team in terms of repair costs.
Where do they stand in the constructors?
The team ended ninth in the constructor's championship, ahead of Kick Sauber and behind RB. They scored 28 points this year, and the expectations are even higher. This year, James Vowels, the team principal of Williams, dreamed many big things and wanted to bring back the glory days of the 80s and 90s.
Williams driver vows
They started the season with Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon as their main drivers. But Vowels later brought Franco Colapinto to their team midway to replace the underperforming American driver. He made frequent mistakes on the track, which made the team part ways with him mid-season. The experienced Alex Albon carried the team on his shoulders with some strong qualifying performances.
What went wrong?
Williams made a big mistake by designing the FW46 to suit all race tracks this year. The car was designed to perform well on all the tracks, which resulted in adding more weight. The weight decreased its performance and is the biggest reason for its slump.
Hefty Crashes are not good for any team
In the 2024 Formula 1 season, Williams is the team that suffered the most due to crashes. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto added more bills to the team as repair costs. A special mention was the Australian Grand Prix, where Albon crashed heavily during the FP1 and damaged the chassis, leaving the team with no time to repair. Team principal James Vowels made one of the most difficult decisions of his life by benching Sargeant and allowing Albon to drive his teammate's car during the race. It also showed the team's priority and hope was always Albon.
In the Brazilian GP, both Albon and Franco crashed heavily in qualifying. Only Colapinto raced in the main race, but again crashed his car, leaving the team stranded. Accidents not only increase the repair costs but it directly affect the car's development for the next season. He repeated the crash in Las Vegas, Qatar. Even during the Abu Dhabi race, Piastri crashed on the backside of Colapinto’s Williams, and he retired.
Best Performances in 2024
Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the best race for Williams this year, as their drivers finished P7 and P8. The double-point finish helped them move to 6th place ahead of Alpine. Colpainto shined in Singapore, USA, but couldn't capitalise that further as his aggressive driving cost him and the team in Brazil and Las Vegas.
Also Read: Kick Sauber F1 2024 Team Analysis: A Bright Future ahead, but a long way to go
All hopes are now on Sainz
Starting this year, Lewis Hamilton announced he will leave Mercedes and join Ferrari. Carlos Sainz lost his driver's seat and looked for a driver's seat. The Spanish driver approached Mercedes, but they already announced Kimi Antonelli as their new driver.
Finally, he signed with Williams, hoping to jump to the main team one day. Carlos has been with a leading team for four years, and his inputs, skills, and expertise will be very helpful to develop the Williams car for next year. Also, with some weight reduction, they could become a competitive team.
Also Read: Winning the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship is a costly mistake made by Max Verstappen