Williams ready to sacrifice his 7th place… to better prepare for 2024?

In the last issues of the year, this is perhaps the one whose outcome is the most uncertain: who Williams, Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romeo ou Haas will finish in seventh place in the Manufacturers' championship? Sixteen points separate the four teams and at the dawn of the last two Grands Prix of the season, it is Williams who has the advantage with 28 points, compared to 21 for AlphaTauri, 16 for Alfa Romeo and 12 for Haas.

An essential advantage in this fight at the bottom of the table, but nevertheless important on a financial level with the end of season rewards, but also on a sporting level with more or less wind tunnel time granted for next season depending on the ranking.

Williams logically appears as the favorite team for this hotly contested 7th place, thanks in particular to the 27 points scored by Alex Albon…but recently, a threat has been looming over this position. For three Grands Prix, AlphaTauri has been in ambush with no less than 16 units marked in Austin, Mexico and São Paulo. At the same time, Williams scored only 5 points.

A less impressive dynamic that James Vowles explains by choices in the development of the FW45, stopped quite early in the season to focus on 2024. “We stopped working on this year's car many, many months ago, declared the Team Principal of the British team in a video published on the Williams website. This could mean that we put our 7th place in the Manufacturers' Championship at risk. Despite everything, I am very happy with the decision we made. »

Vowles advocates long-term vision at Williams

A lost position would mean a financial loss of several million euros – offset by stopping early development – ​​but also a 5% time saving in the wind tunnel in 2024. In a long-term vision, James Vowles recommends “ sacrifice” this end of the season to better prepare for the future.

“Our goal is not to finish 7th or 8th in 2023, but to know how to get this team back to first place, explains the British engineer. What you're trying to balance in tandem are the developments behind the scenes, the systems and structures, the car of next year and the car of 2026. You just can't put all of these elements in the same sphere and hope to succeed in each of them. We want to take a step forward in 2024, then in 2025 and in 2026. We have to go through this transformation and I much prefer to invest everything necessary in this area at the cost of this year's developments. »

Although calculating in his choices, James Vowles nonetheless remains competitive and ensures that he does not “don’t want to finish 8th in the championship this year” with Williams. “We will fight with everything we have until the checkered flag falls in Abu Dhabi to maintain this 7th place, did he declare. But I'm also aware that we're asking our team and drivers to do this with one hand behind their back, which is okay. I remain confident that what we are doing and the decisions we have made will lead to long-term success rather than short-term gain. »

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