Dutch GP: Williams Racing Grand Prix Preview


By Williams Racing
August 31 2022

Coming off the points scoring result from Spa the Williams Racing Team moves to the circuit of Zandvoort for the 2022 Dutch GP. Given the vastly different nature of this circuit it is expected to produce a more difficult weekend for the team and drivers. For Alex Albon it has been some time since he last raced at this circuit so his practice sessions will be vital. For Nicholas Latifi he will return to the circuit he raced at last year so is somewhat better prepared. But for the team it is hoped that coming off the momentum of Spa the team can again achieve a promising result.

 
2022 Dutch GP Preview
 

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance:
Zandvoort provides quite a different challenge to last weekend in Spa with the circuit configuration being considerably different and the tyre compounds being a step harder. The hard C1 compound was previously taken to Bahrain, Barcelona and Silverstone and could be a tricky compound this weekend. However, the Medium and Soft compounds are likely to work well.

The banking and elevation changes at this track were easier to accommodate than we first feared last year, and by qualifying we had the car in a decent window. That experience should allow us to start Friday in a good position and give us opportunities to both explore the tyre behaviour thoroughly and allow to Alex to familiarise himself with the circuit.
We enjoyed a good weekend in Spa. However, whilst the car performance was good at the low downforce level and Alex was able to drive a very strong defensive race, we know that we also benefited from a lot of grid penalties for our competitors. This weekend should be more difficult, but we have some momentum and confidence from Spa which will be invaluable as we take the fight to the midfield at a circuit less naturally suited to the FW44.

 

Alex Albon:
Coming out of a successful weekend, we know Zandvoort is a very different track to Spa and we’ll need to adapt to the different requirements, with a much higher downforce and on a difficult track for overtaking. Saturday will be an important day for us and, whilst we’d like to have a repeat of Spa, that will obviously be slightly difficult. I haven’t raced at this circuit since 2015, so will work to leverage Friday and Saturday to learn the track and see what we can play for over the weekend.

Nicholas Latifi:
I’m excited to get going at Zandvoort for the second round of this triple-header. Going back to Zandvoort last year was very enjoyable. It’s an old-school track and probably one of the more fun single lap qualis on the calendar. There are high-speed corners, banked corners and it’s very narrow with little room for error which makes it a track with a lot of unique characteristics. The fan atmosphere really made it something special last year and I’m sure it’ll be the same again.

 
Race Data
Friday:
Practice 1: 12:30 - 13:30
Practice 2: 16:00 - 17:00
Saturday:
Practice 3: 12:00 - 13:00
Qualifying: 15:00 - 16:00
Sunday: Race: 15:00
 

Bookmark or share this story with:

Dutch GP: Williams Racing Grand Prix Preview
Discussion started by Williams F1 , 31/08/2022 13:07
Williams F1
31/08/2022 13:07
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net