Williams have left one journalist stunned after details of their 2024 F1 car development emerged.
The Grove outfit haven’t managed to score a point at either of the first two races of the new campaign.
And Scott Mitchell-Malm, a journalist for The Race, can’t believe what he’s heard about the assembly of the new car.
It was team principal James Vowles’ first full winter at the helm after arriving from Mercedes in January 2023.
Williams finished seventh in the 2023 standings, with Alex Albon scoring 27 of their 28 points.
But alongside Sauber, RB and Alpine, they’re one of four teams yet to score a point this year.
By virtue of Albon’s 11th-place finish in Saudi Arabia last time out, they are at least at the front of that group.
Journalist ‘shocked’ by Williams reveal
Referencing a video posted on The Race’s YouTube channel, Mitchell-Malm called the off-season events at Williams ‘shocking’.
Vowles decided an overhaul was necessary after learning that the team had used Microsoft Excel to organise the development of previous cars.
He implemented a new digital system, as well as insisting that the FW46 was built from an entirely new technological base.
This led to staff sleeping at the factory in some instances and pulling overnight shits.
Mitchell-Malm wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “One shocking winter in one video – Williams lays bare just bad things got ahead of the new season and why the consequences of that are felt in its 2024 #F1 car and development.”
Will Alex Albon leave Williams?
Albon has rebuilt his reputation since joining Williams in 2022 after Red Bull dropped him in favour of Sergio Perez.
And the Thai driver says it’s ‘painful’ that the team won’t be able to make a number of planned improvements to their car until 2025.
The 27-year-old insists he’s focused on Williams but admits he’s aware of potential ‘opportunities’ for next year.
More than half of the current grid are out of contract and Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari is expected to ignite a significant reshuffle.
Journalist Christian Menath has raised the ‘interesting’ possibility that Albon could return to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.
Unlike many of his competitors, he’s under contract until the end of 2025, but suitors may try to buy him out of that deal.
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