So many problems
Between crash-tests barely passed after several attempts and the absence (the only team not to show up) from the collective shakedowns in Barcelona, it was clear since this winter that the first part of the season for Williams would be a ordeal. In China, taking advantage of others’ troubles, Carlos Sainz managed to collect the first two points of the season, but in general the Grove team – surprisingly fifth last year among the Constructors – has so far had to settle for navigating at the back of the pack.
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The cancellation of the races scheduled in April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, however, came to the aid of the historic English team which – as recently confirmed also by Alex Albon – will present itself at the beginning of May in Miami with a car full of novelties. The priority is a ‘slimming diet’ for the FW48 which, according to rumors reported by the Spanish newspaper Marca, would be even 26 kilos overweight compared to the limit allowed by the technical regulations.
The season starts in Florida
In reality, what will be seen in Florida will not be a version B of the car that has raced so far but the ‘real’ version A, that is the chassis that was supposed to be used from the start of the season in Melbourne and which was instead put on standby after the many winter problems. The Miami event will be only a first step of a long path that should continue with updates – according to Spanish media – until early September with the Italian GP.
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The hope, which remains to be seen if it will come true, would be to recover about a second of weight alone between Miami and Monza. If this happens, Williams could make an important leap forward among the mid-field teams, although it should not be forgotten that other teams also have cars that are currently overweight and far from perfect and thus they too will likely improve their performance as the Grands Prix go by.
