The last time the Formula 1 grid was in action, Williams was enduring one of the toughest weeks possible for an F1 team.
With heavy rains forcing the postponement of qualifying in Brazil to Sunday morning, just hours before the São Paulo Grand Prix, the ten F1 teams faced a difficult challenge with the compressed schedule. However, a hard crash from Alexander Albon in Q3 put an insurmountable hurdle in front of the team, as they could not get his FW46 ready for the race.
While teammate Franco Colapinto could start the Grand Prix despite crashing himself in Q1, he crashed again in the race. With both cars severely damaged the team faced another challenge, this time getting both cars rebuilt in time for this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. It was a task the team immortalized with this incredible video, highlighting the work around the clock to get both cars rebuilt for Las Vegas.
Now, both Albon and Colapinto are aiming to repay that effort by “fighting for points” in Las Vegas.
“It’s no surprise that these past three weeks have been tough for the team, but there are many positives we can take from Brazil and carry into our remaining three races, starting with Vegas,” said Albon in the team’s media preview of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. “We have an incredible opportunity to come back fighting in Vegas and bounce back from one of the toughest weekends we’ve ever experienced at Williams during my time here.
“We can showcase to the world and our rivals just how strong we are as a team and what we’re capable of, not only in the next three races but also in the future,” added Albon. “I’m more motivated and driven than ever; I want to give back to this team and show my thanks for all their hard work by fighting for points in Vegas. This will be our best opportunity to do so, so let’s see what we can achieve.”
Colapinto mirrored Albon’s sentiment.
“Brazil was a tough moment for the team and not something we were hoping for but that’s part of motorsport,” said the young driver. “There’s a lot to take away from the weekend that not only helps me grow as a driver but also as a person. Now is the time to show our resilience and bounce back together during the final three races of the season. Everyone at the factory has made a huge effort by pushing as hard as they can for us to be in the strongest place possible to see out the season.
“I’m only six races in but I have so much confidence and trust in this team and the people around me,” added Colapinto. “We still have three races left with plenty of opportunities to fight for points starting with Vegas. We’ll keep pushing as hard as we can until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi as anything is possible.”
