The qualifying session for the Woking team was nothing short of disappointing. Starting in 18th place, it was clear that the Australian driver had his work cut out for him. However, despite the setback, he managed to avoid the chaos at the first corner and began to make progress up the order. In fact, at one point, he even found himself in an impressive third place.
Unfortunately, the strategy employed by the team did not play out in their favor. Following a clash with Lewis Hamilton, the driver was forced to make a premature pit visit, opting for hard tires for the opening two stints. This decision ultimately led to a late pitstop for mediums under green flag conditions. As a result, he dropped down the order, although he did manage to recover to 10th place and secure the bonus point for the fastest lap.
Reflecting on the race, the driver expressed his belief that a different strategy could have yielded better results. He mentioned that the timing of the safety car was advantageous for those who stayed out on mediums at the start. He pointed to Esteban Ocon as an example, stating that the strategy worked perfectly for him. The driver then expressed his frustration with the rule of using two compounds, as he believed that sticking with the hard tires would have allowed him to hold onto fourth place. Despite this setback, he was pleasantly surprised by the pace of the car during the race, which exceeded their expectations. He acknowledged that there were several factors that contributed to the varied performances of different teams in the race, highlighting Williams’ unexpected lack of speed.
One particular incident during the race was the lap 16 contact with Lewis Hamilton, which resulted in punctures for both drivers. The driver described it as an awkward situation where neither of them had fully committed to the corner until the last minute. He attempted to back out of the collision, but they ended up meeting in the middle, causing his puncture. Despite this setback, the driver believed that it did not significantly impact their race. He speculated on the possibility of a one-stop strategy from that point onward, similar to what Pierre Gasly employed. However, he acknowledged that it is always difficult to predict the outcome of different strategies in Formula 1 racing.
The driver expressed his disappointment with the overall outcome of the race. He felt that their performance deserved more than a 10th place finish. Despite a frustrating qualifying session and a less-than-ideal strategy, he was encouraged by the surprising pace of the car during the race. The team will now analyze the race and qualifying performance to identify areas for improvement and understand the differences in pace compared to other teams.
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