Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing in the FIA Press Conference. 15.11.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 22, Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Preparation Day.
Alex Albon acknowledged that Williams is beginning to endure increased pressure from AlphaTauri in their tightening battle for seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.
AlphaTauri had languished at the foot of the standings for the majority of the year, but a flurry of recent developments, including a sizeable Red Bull-inspired upgrade in Singapore, has elevated the team up to eighth, now within seven points of Williams.
While the Red Bull-owned side has insisted on continuing to plough resources into its current car, Williams abandoned bringing new parts to its FW45 charger months ago.
With AlphaTauri outscoring Williams by 11 points across the recent triple header in the Americas, Albon admits it will be tough for the Grove squad to retain seventh place.
Asked on Wednesday in Las Vegas whether Williams was now feeling the heat with two rounds remaining in the campaign, Albon said: “We are, I’d say so. We’re still doing our own thing and the focus is always just to execute the weekend that we’re doing.
“Obviously, these guys have definitely stepped up their game over the last few races and they’re becoming more and more of a threat, not just for us, but even to the Alpines and to the midfield. So it’s been difficult to fend them off.”
Albon has reiterated his assertion that the combination of cooler temperatures and a low-downforce track layout at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit should boost Williams’ hopes.
“We’ve got two races left, obviously, I think you said it’s seven points difference. We’re going into this weekend with, we hope, a more competitive car than we’ve had over Mexico and Brazil,” he reiterated.
“So let’s see, but it is going to be a battle of attrition and just about executing everything we can. Because, I think on paper, they are a little bit quicker than us.”
Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) AlphaTauri AT04. 05.11.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 21, Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Race Day.
Although Yuki Tsunoda is confident that AlphaTauri can continue to apply pressure on Williams, he concedes that seven points is still a tough deficit to bridge in two races.
“Yes, I think so,” Tsunoda said when asked if AlphaTauri has the speed to overhaul Williams. “Yeah, I mean, it’s not easy. Seven points sounds really small, but over the next two races it’s not really actually small.
“So yeah, we’re expecting that Williams is going to pick up the pace quite a lot in this week. Hopefully not!
“And we have to put it all together again, like we’ve done in the last three races. So yeah, it’s a good rhythm. I think the car is getting better and better. So looking forward to it.”
While Daniel Ricciardo’s race in Brazil was hampered by damage at the start, the Australian bagged AlphaTauri’s best result of the year with seventh place in Mexico.
The eight-time grand prix winner believes that the Faenza entry pipping Williams to seventh would “feel like a bit of a victory” considering where the team started the year.
“Now we have a sniff of seventh in the Constructors, try to do everything I can to help contribute,” Ricciardo added:
“Looking at the long straights here, you look at Williams and it could be strong for them, but I think we’ve got a chance so I’m going to try and make it happen.
“If, IF, we could get seventh, I think no-one really thought that was going to happen before Austin. So that would feel like a bit of a victory for us.”
Keyword: Albon: Williams feeling the heat as AlphaTauri close on P7