Albon: 'Ingrained' limitations of cars 'quite unique' to F1

Alex Albon says an F1 car's specific trait or limitation may remain "ingrained" in its successors even in the wake of a significant rule change, a feature he says that is "quite unique" to Formula 1.

After finishing last in F1's Constructors' standings in 2022, Williams has progressed to seventh this season although the British outfit shares the same number of points as Haas, while Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri currently close out the field.

In terms of sheer pace, Williams' FW43 is a faster proposition compared to last year's car both in absolute and in relative terms.

However, that doesn't mean that the car's behaviour has necessarily improved, implying that an underlying weakness remains embedded in the car's foundation.

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In fact, based on comments last year conveyed by his Williams teammate Nicholas Latifi, Albon believes that some of his car's limitations or oddities were already present in its predecessors which shared the same DNA, even despite F1's massive regulation overhaul that was introduced at the start of the 2022 season.

"Most teams, the way that teams are organised, the culture in the teams, the philosophies in the teams, they get ingrained," he explained, speaking to Speedcafe.

"That’s why you see… it’s amazing how regulations can change so much… I can only compare to Nicky’s comments, because he went from the ’21 car to the ’22 car, and he said exactly the same; same limitations, same positives as well.

"It’s just the world of Formula 1 is quite unique in that way, and that’s why it’s hard to change it, because it can be quite ingrained.

"It’s also why you see teams employing personnel from other teams; you need that complete overview of how other teams are doing their aerodynamics or philosophies and things."

Case in point, Albon referred to recent comments from McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the benefits provided by the latest upgrades implemented by the team.

"If you listen to Lando’s and Oscar’s comments, they’re not saying the car itself has improved in terms of the balance, they just say that there’s a bit more downforce in the car," he said.

"They’ve made a huge step in that sense, but not in the way the car drives.

"That being said, I started working on next year’s car since April on the simulator and working and changing the car's characteristics to try to mitigate some of these constant balance issues we’ve been having for the last four or five years.

"That’s been a big focus for next year."

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