A rather intriguing detail about Alex Albon’s performance at the Japanese Grand Prix mostly escaped attention. It’s widely known that Williams is incurring a significant cost due to the excessive mass of its Formula 1 vehicle, estimated to be more than 20kg, which has hindered progress in various departments. This particular characteristic disadvantages the FW47, and the team aims to alleviate it through a phased weight-reduction initiative.
While anticipating more comprehensive enhancements, it makes sense to continue refining the existing setup, seeking improvements in aerodynamics. During recent racing events, Williams has already allocated portions of its track time to investigate remedies for problems affecting the car, like instances where a tire loses contact with the track, thereby diminishing available traction.
Insufficient grip at the front of the vehicle has been a persistent challenge for Williams, originating from the preceding technical regulations. Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Albon had clarified that the Grove-based squad intended to conduct experimental trials at Suzuka too, extending the work observed in earlier race weekends, particularly when scoring points was not a feasible objective.
“Indeed, I believe our discoveries were sufficient to confirm the validity of the trial,” Albon stated earlier. “It appeared promising, and simultaneously, we suspected an issue with the car’s rear from China, which seemed resolved after we swapped the gearbox.”
These trials persisted at Suzuka during the concluding stages of the event, once a points-scoring position was unattainable. The crew modified the front wing configurations to grasp how specific alterations would influence the vehicle’s aerodynamic profile and overall handling. Consequently, Williams summoned Albon to the pit lane at the close of lap 45, equipping him with fresh soft tires and modifying the front wing’s inclination.
Upon finishing merely a single lap with this arrangement, the Grove-based outfit recalled the Anglo-Thai competitor to the pits once more, making an additional 4.5-click adjustment to the front wing angle. This identical procedure was reiterated across the subsequent three laps, incrementally modifying the wing’s pitch, on occasion by over four clicks. During the ultimate pit stop, which was the fifth within five laps, the tires were also replaced again, reverting to a set of medium-grade compounds.
Alexander Albon, Williams
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
These figures represent notable magnitudes, demonstrating that an objective was also to explore more radical and diverse configurations in order to amass the maximum possible data, thereby constructing a comprehensive aerodynamic profile for factory analysis and comparison against simulated models.
The vehicle comes fitted with sensors designed to gauge pressure across its aerodynamic elements, enabling engineers to deduce downforce measurements and comprehend the car’s handling characteristics, given that wing modifications exert a ripple effect on air current distribution towards the rear of the chassis.
The collected information will prove instrumental leading into the mandatory month-long hiatus necessitated by the cancellation of events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Throughout this period, teams will have the opportunity to scrutinize the findings accumulated from the initial trio of races, awaiting planned upgrades for the Miami Grand Prix.
Williams is aware of the necessity to close the gap during this interval, and each pertinent data point regarding the alignment between real-world track performance and simulator predictions could be pivotal in shaping subsequent development and car setup, beginning with the American race.
