Williams’ Dave Robson feels Montréal upgrade “delivered well” after season-best finish for Albon

It was a bittersweet result for Williams Racing at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Alex Albon achieving a season best result of seventh and Logan Sargeant retiring from the race on lap six due to a concerning oil leak.

Williams Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson was disappointed to see Sargeant’s race come to such an early end, considering the “opportunity” he had to battle for positions at a circuit that FW45 had proven to be strong at. 

“There were mixed fortunes for the two sides of our garage today. We were forced to retire Logan’s car after we spotted an oil leak, which was starting to affect his power unit. We need to inspect the car tonight and find out exactly where the leak is coming from. It was a shame for Logan as he had a good opportunity for some close racing and a good result.”

Albon’s one stop strategy played to his advantage on Sunday, with him taking his one pit stop under safety car conditions– this strategy allowed him to gain track positions on several two-stop runners. Along with this aspect, Robson said that his ability to defend against drivers behind also played a major role in his securing the result. 

“With Alex, we benefited from a well-timed safety car but were also able to put together a very strong 1-stop race. We have seen in the past that Alex is exceptionally good at managing a race and defending against a group of cars. 

“Today, he was able to overtake on track and then couple all of his past experience with the strengths of the updated FW45 to pull off a very good result. His drive was outstanding and the help he received from the team was equally impressive.”

Robson said that the upgrade brought to Albon’s car amplified the pace they expected to have at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, and proved to be a step in the right direction for the team. 

He praised the team back at the factory for their efforts in preparing this update, and said that the team will continue to sharpen their knowledge on the new package at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.

“We suspected that the circuit in Montreal would suit the car quite well and this has been enhanced by the upgrade package, which delivered well today. The whole team in Grove has worked tirelessly to deliver this upgrade and they can be suitably proud of their achievement. 

“We still have a lot to learn about the revised FW45 and this work will continue in Austria in a couple of weeks.”