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Alex Albon Optimistic Despite Williams’ Rocky 2024 Season: “We’re on the Right Track”

Miguel Cunha by Miguel Cunha
February 2, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Red Bull Passed on Alex Albon’s Return: A Gamble or a Missed Opportunity?

Nov 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Williams Racing driver Alex Albon (23) arrives with girlfriend Lily Muni before practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The 2024 Formula 1 season wasn’t exactly a fairytale for Williams, but Alex Albon believes the British team has laid down the groundwork for a much stronger future. Despite enduring a frustrating year, Williams took critical steps toward modernizing its operations, refining its car philosophy, and moving past the dysfunction that plagued its offseason development.

While Williams slipped from seventh to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, Albon remains confident that the team is making the necessary long-term improvements.

The Excel Sheet Debacle: A Symbol of Williams’ Past Struggles

One of the most eye-opening revelations about Williams’ struggles in recent years was the shockingly outdated production process. Ahead of 2024, reports emerged that Williams was managing its car parts inventory using an Excel spreadsheet—an absurdity for a modern F1 team.

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Team Principal James Vowles and Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry immediately scrapped the system upon taking charge, with Fry admitting he’d “never seen anything like it” in his career.

“The Excel list was a joke,” Vowles bluntly stated. “Impossible to navigate and impossible to update.”

This internal overhaul caused delays in developing the FW46, but Albon sees it as a necessary evil to ensure a more streamlined, competitive operation in the long run.

“We’re far more current and up-to-date than we were before,” Albon told RacingNews365. “It’s still only been 12 months since we changed all the systems around the team. But everything is going in the right direction.”

A Bold Concept Shift: From “Peaky” to Predictable

Aside from the overhauled production process, Williams also made a radical change in car philosophy. The 2023 FW45 was wildly inconsistent—capable of shocking performances on low-drag circuits like Monza and Montreal, but completely ineffective elsewhere.

For 2024, Williams shifted its focus toward building a more balanced car, resulting in the FW46—a machine that was consistently average rather than spectacular in certain conditions.

“We did a good job changing the DNA of the car,” Albon explained. “The 2023 car was quite peaky—great at some tracks, terrible at others. In 2024, we were more well-rounded.”

Although the team lost its edge at power circuits, the car became more stable across different track layouts. While that approach didn’t immediately translate into better results, Albon believes it was an essential first step toward building a more competitive foundation.

From Struggles to Stability: Williams’ 2025 Outlook

The FW46’s balance issues meant that Williams missed out on big points hauls, scoring 28 points (11 fewer than in 2023). However, Albon sees the bigger picture, acknowledging that Williams is now set up for a brighter future.

“Directionally, we targeted something and we achieved it,” Albon stated. “It’s not like we focused on an area of the car to fix and weren’t able to achieve it. That’s a positive.”

With a better production system, a more stable car philosophy, and a year of learning behind them, Williams is better positioned heading into 2025.

“With a more balanced car and better production methods, I think we’re on the right track,” Albon concluded.

Can Williams Rebound in 2025?

While Williams’ short-term results may have suffered, the team’s internal restructuring and strategic shift signal that they are playing the long game. The FW47, set to debut in 2025, will be the first car built under Williams’ new system, and it could finally start to close the gap to the midfield leaders.

For Alex Albon, patience is key—but if Williams delivers on its potential, 2025 might just be the year that the team finally starts moving forward instead of backward. 🚀

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