Alex Albon has conceded Williams is “falling behind” its Formula 1 rivals in the development race, leaving him concerned about its prospects in the British Grand Prix.
Williams endured a challenging start to the campaign as missed deadlines constructing a revised car concept saw its FW46 be overweight and not have spare parts.
But the Grove-based squad seemed to have turned a corner as Albon bagged points in Monaco and was on course to score in Canada until Carlos Sainz tagged him.
However, Williams has been unable to build upon those encouraging outings as both drivers qualified slowest in Spain and then failed to trouble the top 10 in Austria.
Albon, who achieved points at Silverstone last term, has admitted that Williams’ subdued recent showings have tempered his hopes heading into this weekend’s race.
“I would say Barcelona was slightly disappointing, but in some ways expected,” Albon reflected.
“I think Red Bull Ring was more disappointing and further away than we expected.
“And so Silverstone comes in and we’re a little bit… We would normally come into this weekend a bit more positive.
“But I think there’s just a bit of a question mark on purely where we are going to be this weekend.
“I think obviously when you look at last year, it was a very strong weekend for us and it’s still in the process of understanding what tracks are going well for us now.
“That’s not always that clear for us. But it’s partly down to the midfield upgrading so aggressively.
“The upgrades for most teams now are consistent and often, so I’m working well, so yeah, we’re just falling behind.”
Meanwhile, Logan Sargeant concurred with his team-mate regarding Williams’ progress relative to the competition, citing how this weekend constituted an unknown.
“It’s closer on paper to a track like Barcelona than say, Canada,” Sargeant said. “It’s a tricky one because we look at last year and it obviously went quite well for us.
“How do we think it’s going to go this year? It’s a bit of a guess. I think if you look at the last two races, it does feel a little bit like we’re falling behind.
“From a pace point of view as a team, we are struggling a bit. But that doesn’t mean this weekend can’t be better.
“I’m confident that we’re going to get everything out of the car. Whether that’s better or not is to be determined. But I certainly hope so.”
He added: “It is where we’re at. We’re obviously trying to find more pace as hard as we can. As simple as it is, we’re just not quick enough for the moment.
“I’m sure we’re going to have a two-hour-long driver briefing. I’ll probably be sleeping in the back by the end! No, I’m sure it’ll be discussed tomorrow night.”
Sargeant was placed on the same specification parts as Albon in Spain last month, but he revealed that his updated floor wasn’t delivering the anticipated downforce.
Asked whether the team was closer to solving the issue, he replied: “It’s as close as it’s been. It’s much better than it has been previously.
“Is it 100%? No, but it’s very close.”
The American also proclaimed that being absent from FP1 as Franco Colapinto receives a practice outing in his car would not be a hindrance to his weekend hopes.
“Well, it’s certainly not ideal, especially at a track like this,” he professed. “But it is what it is. I’ve driven so many laps around this track, which is obviously a positive.
“I feel like it’s a good track for me in general. Let’s see, the conditions look pretty mixed for tomorrow. Maybe that ultimately plays in my favour, but it’s not ideal.”
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