Williams: Q3 slots and points still not "inevitable"
Williams' head of vehicle performance Dave Robson has warned that reaching Q3 and Formula 1 points finishes are not "inevitable" for the team despite its strong recent form.
George Russell qualified 11th for the Portuguese Grand Prix – his best qualifying result for Williams – two weeks after he started 12th on the grid at Imola.
On both occasions he was very close to making his first Q3 appearance with Williams, ending up 0.123-seconds adrift of that achievement at Imola and 0.057s short in qualifying on Saturday at Portimao.
When asked if such close results made it inevitable that Williams reaching Q3 and scoring points, a feat the team has not managed since since, would happen soon, Robson replied: "There's still a lot of work to do, for sure.
"[But] I think we're heading in the right direction – the momentum is good.
"I'm glad we backed up the performance in Imola [in qualifying]. There's still a lot of work to do [in the race].
"I think the Alpine is interesting because they seem to have [been] talking about a few upgrades and they seem to have been pretty good – obviously [Fernando] Alonso struggled a bit in qualifying, but [Esteban] Ocon is quick.
"And that's a bit of a shame, because we thought we were getting pretty close to them and they seem to have taken a bit of a step.
"So yeah, I wouldn't say it's inevitable. We're pushing towards that top 10, but it's so dependent on how each team develops their car over the coming weeks now.
"A lot still do, but [I'm] much more hopeful than I was 12 months ago. Definitely – it's good."
Robson was also asked about Russell's response to his high-profile crash with Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas last time out at Imola, when the pair were battling over ninth place.
"I think he was very sensible and mature about understanding what had happened and why, and the consequences of that incident," Robson said of Russell's public apology and demeanour following his initial fiery response to remonstrate with Bottas and blame him for the crash.
"It is just him growing, isn't it, and I think you've got to have some experiences like that in order to know how to deal with them in the future.
"So, fair play to him, I think it was quite a good effort from him afterwards to admit that he'd had a bit of a chance to think about it and he would do it differently again."
Share Or Save This Story
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
Williams tipped for "huge step" forward at Azerbaijan GP with major upgrade
Carlos Sainz accuses Fernando Alonso of provoking a penalty "like always"
How Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort - and how Alex Albon lost a similar payday
The NASCAR Trucks Chase is about The Big Three, but who else?
Andrea Stella: McLaren must help Oscar Piastri stop "thinking" about how to drive '26 F1 car
Gateway was a race of opportunity for drivers with several posting season-best results
Christian Rasmussen reunites with Era Motorsport for IMSA’s Indianapolis sprint round
F1 doesn't need to change its VSC rules despite Lando Norris' Spain loss
Why Lando Norris doesn’t buy George Russell’s driving style theory
How Kimi Antonelli is proving unbeatable, even when he's beaten
How Norris unfurled a surprising - and "unrepeatable" - Spanish GP pole lap
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.
Top Comments