Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi comment after completing their first day driving the new Williams FW44 in Circuit de Barcelona.
The Williams Racing F1 Team completed the first of the three days of testing in Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. Striking an all-new blue livery, the FW44 marched the hot sunny weather of Barcelona.
Pre-season is a time for the teams to show their new car designs and liveries. Not much of the lap times as the teams are running on different fuel loads and setups. It also gives a chance for the new drivers to adapt to their new machines.
Williams has a new star driver
Lando Norris topped the day with a staggering 1.19.568 time with 104 laps. Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished second and third respectively. William’s new star Alexander Albon alongside Nicholas Latifi completed 131 laps between each other in the C3 tires.
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“I’m really happy with my first proper session in the FW44 this afternoon. The car felt great and the team here in Barcelona did an incredible job. We got some good mileage which is really important and a great start to the year,” commented Albon.
“The first days on track are usually spent making sure everything is running smoothly. We managed to make a start working on the performance of the car. We only have six days of testing before the first race, so to be honing in on performance already is a real positive.”
“I’m looking forward to getting back out tomorrow morning!” concluded Albon on his first day with the new FW44 car.
A new challenge, same old competitive Nicholas Latifi
Moreover, Latifi is looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with a brand new car and a new partner.
“The first session back in the car after a few months off is always interesting,” an excited Latifi commented on his first drive.
“You can tell it’s different design philosophy, especially with the tires, as it was my first time driving the new 18-inch Pirellis,” said the Canadian.
“Overall, it feels different and there are a few things that. For me, feeling quite positive already compared to last year and there are things that need adjusting. But it is still very early days.”
“This morning’s focus was on understanding the systems and the aero platform sensitivities. It was a good day overall,” concluded Latifi drawing comparison to last year.
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