With a bout of crashes on back-to-back race weekends, Williams cannot catch a break. The cash-strapped team is incapable of fielding a spare chassis and that is beginning to hurt them. Not only is it costing them in terms of points lost but also in fielding upgrades in the future. Team boss James Vowles opened up on the adverse impact the recent accidents have had on the team.
Speaking with Will Buxton on the F1TV’s post-race show, Vowles said, “To have three major accidents, where you’ve pretty much taken out all the equipment out of the car, is enormous. Taking that across the season, you can deal with it. Taking across just a few races is difficult. And the impact of it would be what you expect. We’re making spares quickly in the background but ultimately, performance will have an impact on it.”
The team principal also talked about the early season upgrades going to waste. He rued the impact of the crashes, destroying the efforts on the upgrades beyond salvaging. Owing to that, Vowles put up a helpless front over the ability to bring further upgrades in the near future.
The 44-year-old, however, is optimistic about the team’s attitude. He revealed how the team members are all battle-hardened, having endured the testing 10 years gone by. That is what Vowles believes will get them out of the sticky situation the Grove outfit finds itself in.
One thing Vowles did not touch upon, which will surely hurt them is the budget cap. In his own confession, the former Mercedes engineer admits to taking pretty much every equipment out of the cars. Replacing them will eat up a large chunk of their budget, thereby restricting progress.
Is Williams ready to jump out of the bottom of the standings?
Williams finished the 2023 season on a high after managing a P7 finish in the Constructors’ standings. The Grove-based engineers introduced upgrades towards the end of the season that gave the car a superior straight-line speed and better stability. Expecting them to carry the momentum to 2024, experts held high expectations.
The British team has, however, failed to meet those expectations. Williams is currently at the bottom of the table with Sauber and Alpine. None of these three outfits have managed to score points in the 4 races gone by. Haas and RB, on the other hand, have managed to hit the ground running. With 4 points to their name, the all-American team is positioned 7th in the standings while RB is 6th with 7 points.
The circus will now move on to China, a circuit where F1 hasn’t raced in the last 4 years. Moreover, the Chinese GP is set to be a Sprint weekend. That gives drivers and teams just one session of practice, which may put some jeopardy as F1 heads to the Shanghai International circuit after a 5-year hiatus. Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant will particularly have to be careful not to wreck the car once again, as they won’t be having a spare chassis there too.
