“The Safety Car was unfortunately timed for us” – Williams’ Dave Robson

Williams Racing added two more points to their 2022 collection, after Alex Albon finished in ninth-place at the Miami Grand Prix. Nicholas Latifi finished fourteenth at the Miami International Autodrome.

Albon recovered brilliantly from his eighteenth-place starting position, to cross the line initially in tenth before being promoted to ninth following a late five-second time penalty for Fernando Alonso.

Latifi on the other hand struggled, the Canadian suffered some issues with his FW44 early-on resulting in a miserable afternoon for the Williams driver.

Both Albon and Latifi suffered slightly from the race’s late Safety Car. Latifi started the race on the hard compound with the aim of running deep until a safety car was released. The Canadian pitted several laps before Lando Norris‘ and Pierre Gasly’s collison, meaning starting on the hards hadn’t paid off.

Under the safety car, Albon was unfortunate to drop behind Esteban Ocon who made a late pit-stop whilst the time lost was reduced.

Williams Racing’s Head of Vehicle Performance, Dave Robson, summarised the team’s inaugural trip to Miami and how the safety car cost them.

“It was a race of attrition and patience today and Alex managed the opportunity very well and showed good pace throughout the race, which allowed him to undercut Ricciardo. The Safety Car was unfortunately timed for us, but Alex kept his cool and was still able to beat both Aston Martins, but frustratingly lost out to Ocon. Nonetheless, he drove well and deserved his second point-scoring finish of the season.

“Nicholas had the more difficult strategy, starting on hard tyres and aiming to run long. The pace of that tyre at the start of the race was poor for all those that tried it and this set his strategy back. Once on the medium tyre his pace was good despite having to manage a higher than expected fuel consumption. He also managed the race well and finished a credible 14th place, ahead of both Haas cars.

“Our inaugural trip to Miami has been a rollercoaster of a weekend, but we recovered well after a disappointing qualifying session to push the pack hard today and finish in the top 10.”