Formula 1 Dutch GP
Albon: Headwind masked Williams problems in F1 Dutch GP qualifying
Alex Albon has explained how a headwind at Zandvoort has "hidden the normal problems" suffered by Williams to enable him to qualify fourth for Formula 1's 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.
Matt Kew
Edited: Aug 27, 2023, 6:23 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Albon topped Q1 on Saturday, ran third in Q2 and then completed the second row of the grid in the final shootout, having lapped 0.852 seconds adrift of clear polesitter Max Verstappen.
Albon had expected a "rubbish" performance for the slippery Williams given the high-downforce requirements of Zandvoort which made the track "one of the worst ones" for the team.
He had anticipated a tailwind into the medium-speed Turn 9 right-hander but this changed "180 degrees" to become a headwind, which paved the way for Albon's surprise showing.
The Thai-Briton told Sky Sports: "There's been this headwind in a lot of these kinds of low-speed corners, braking corners, and we always struggle with low-speed braking.
"When you've got this headwind, it makes everything feel better, it gives you that front load on the car and hopefully that wind's not changing tomorrow [for the race], I hope.
"It's hidden the normal problems that we have in our car.
"The tailwind corners have been normally high-speed corners where our car has never been that bad at, so I think there's an element of that going on."
As per the team's strong one-lap pace at Silverstone, Albon reckoned Williams now needed to "reverse-engineer" the weekend to "understand why it's been so strong".
Alex Albon, Williams FW45
Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images
He also explained that the team had gone some way to anticipate the favourable conditions by experimenting with the wind settings in its simulator preparations.
Albon added: "Turn 9, Turn 11 have always been terrible corners for us. Corners where we've been losing two tenths each corner.
"And with the headwinds… half a tenth, maybe. And so, I think that's helped us a lot. A lot more than normal.
"We actually drove these winds on the simulator. We do play around with it. We knew this wind was good for our car. But we got it, which is nice."
Read Also:
- Norris’ “worst second half of a lap” still enough for second in F1 Dutch GP quali
- F1 Dutch GP: Verstappen beats Norris to pole by 0.5s in disrupted session
Team boss James Vowles added that the qualifying result was reflective of a weekend that had been strong throughout for Williams.
He told Sky Sports: "Even going into FP1, we noticed the car balance was in a good place, the tyres were in a good place.
"That gives you something to build on immediately. So, from FP1 onwards, we knew there was a better shot than normal.
"But the conditions today certainly favoured us. Do I think we have a car that in normal dry conditions would have been fourth? No.
"But Alex and the team delivered everything today. It was a very impressive result."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 Dutch GP – Start time, how to watch, starting grid & more
Next article Lawson will have to “relearn everything” in dry F1 debut
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Kew
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
More from
Alex Albon
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
Formula 1
Formula 1
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
More from
Williams
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
James Vowles explains request for review of F1 cost cap
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
James Vowles explains request for review of F1 cost cap
Latest news
George Russell on F1 title loss: 'This year won't break me'
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
55 min
George Russell on F1 title loss: 'This year won't break me'
Fernando Alonso doubles down on poor F1 driving standards: "We all know who we're talking about"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
Fernando Alonso doubles down on poor F1 driving standards: "We all know who we're talking about"
How Spanish engineering and Alex Palou brought IndyCar to Barcelona
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
Indy IndyCar 1 h
How Spanish engineering and Alex Palou brought IndyCar to Barcelona
F1 Mexico GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
3 h
F1 Mexico GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe