Formula 1 rookie Logan Sargeant surprised with his performance in the first two races of the new season. Although Williams team-mate Alexander Albon is a point ahead in the drivers’ standings, the American finished just behind Albon in the first race in Bahrain in 12th place and would have even advanced to the second qualifying segment in Saudi Arabia if his lap hadn’t been cancelled were.
Williams are happy that after years where there was always a clear first driver and a weaker second driver, there is now a balance. “I think that’s true to a certain extent,” confirms Dave Robson, who is responsible for vehicle development at Williams.
“I think Nicky [Latifi] had a lot of pace. I think he just had trouble bringing them together and endangering the other riders when it really counted. But he contributed a lot to the team and everything else, so obviously he played his part.”
Robson: Finally happy at “other side of the garage”
“We’ve only had two races with Logan. But yeah, I mean his pace compared to Alex has been good. And we need someone to keep pushing Alex. So I guess time will tell, but yeah, im It feels good at the moment and I know that 12th place in Bahrain certainly gave that side of the garage a little boost,” explains Robson.
“That’s a good thing because they’ve put a lot of work into it, especially the mechanics. So being very close to a team-mate for the first race is good for them and it also has a passive benefit, if you will .”
Latifi drove for three seasons from 2020 to 2022 at Williams, but was unable to match the performance of teammate George Russell in the first two years. A similar picture emerged in 2022, albeit with a new teammate, Alexander Albon. There was also a clear balance of power within the team in the 2019 season as Robert Kubica was also unable to keep up with George Russell.
Robson: “Russell owes us a beer or two”
When asked if it helped Williams with Sargeant that they had a history of backing rookies, Robson replied, “I’d like to believe that’s true. I still believe that George [Russell] owes us a beer or two, but it’s hard to say. I think hopefully with those two we’ll be successful.”
“Obviously Alex wasn’t a rookie when he came to us but I think the whole team is going in the right direction. If the car gets better we can keep these two guys for a good number of years and that will pay off clearly pay off later.”
The start of the season went better than expected for Williams anyway. With Albon’s point from Bahrain, they’re currently eighth in the Constructors’ Championship and the FW45’s pace doesn’t seem too bad either. However, team boss James Vowles emphasizes like a mantra that the focus in Grove is not on the 2023 season, but on the future.
Robson: 2023 Williams just ‘a bigger brother’
“We came out of the test thinking we’d be better than last year, but maybe still one of the slower cars,” says Robson. “But of course it’s difficult in testing. We know what we’re doing, but we don’t know what the others are doing. So yeah, I think Bahrain was a bit of a surprise in general. It’s going well, it was a nice surprise in Bahrain, and may it continue.”
However, Robson warns that the weaknesses of the new Williams car may not have been fully seen. In recent years, the Williams has been particularly sensitive to wind, but was spared in the first two races.
“Probably was [das Auto] Haven’t tried it in really windy conditions yet so we’ll have to wait and see,” warns Robson. “I think it’s clearly an evolution from last year’s car, but I think it’s improved in a few areas that aren’t just downforce and drag have to do.”
“And drivers have said it’s still very nice to drive. So I think it’s pretty clear that this is sort of a bigger brother to the FW44. So it’s going in the right direction, but it is still pretty clear where work needs to be done.”