Alex Albon believes that the 2025 Williams Formula 1 challenger has addressed the team’s prolonged weakness of wind sensitivity.
Wind sensitivity has haunted Williams for several years with its cars susceptible to changes in wind direction and spontaneous gusts.
F1’s pre-season testing venue, the Bahrain International Circuit, was the perfect venue to gauge whether the FW47 has improved in this area as the Sakhir venue is well-known for its windy climate.
Speaking to select media including Motorsport Week on the second day of the test, Albon was asked to make an early comparison between this year’s car and the FW46 of 2023.
“If you look back on last year, the first days to now, well, we’ve done two shakedowns so far,” Albon began.
“We did one in Silverstone, we did one here early in the week.
“For the most part, the car feels a bit better in the wind, I would say. I think that’s the initial feeling.
“There is a bit of a through corner balance difference, but when I think about last year, we were struggling a lot in the wind.
“It was an area that we’ve tried to focus on this year.
Let’s see. For now, obviously, it’s a good place to test this kind of thing and it’s been holding on pretty well.
“So yeah, there’s some good signs to it.”
Williams is in a much better position than 2024 – Albon
A concept shift and a radical production process overhaul at Williams ahead of the 2024 season delayed the arrival of the FW46, which began last season overweight.
Shedding weight amid a season littered with big crashes stunted Williams’ progress and the team ultimately slid to ninth in the Constructors’ standings.
However, F1 testing proved Williams is right in the mix for 2025 with midfield rivals Alpine and Haas citing the Grove-based squad as a contender.
Albon, too, believes the team is in a stronger position compared to 12 months ago.
“I think we know the areas we need to work on,” he said.
“I think there’s just some new things, new software, new areas to focus on, which has changed a little bit the balance of the car.
“I think, just as a general feeling, the car’s in a much better position than last year.
“There are some areas where we’re just getting caught out on, but it’s nothing we can’t fix.”
Having a strong base is key for Williams given the majority of its development focus will be on the 2026 rule changes, with Team Principal James Vowles’ long-term vision for the squad overriding present results.
Williams ended pre-season testing with the fastest time of the three-day event courtesy of Carlos Sainz, with Albon setting the third-fastest time on the final day.
READ MORE – Alex Albon: Williams FW47 car to receive limited updates amid 2026 F1 focus
