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Barcelona has never been shy about separating the wheat form the chaff, and right now it’s doing exactly that to Williams. James Vowles conceded ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix that the FW48’s weight problem – something the Grove squad has been managing since before the season even started – hurts significantly more at a hot, high-demand circuit than it did at Monaco or Montreal.
The admission came when former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve put a pointed question to Vowles: “You just said, three different tracks, the car was kind of good on all three different tracks. Does that mean the car is not peaky enough, or does that mean it’s easy to set up so it will be good everywhere?”
Vowles answered: “It’s more… we’ve already said this, the car is overweight. This track punishes you in these temperatures for just not being on the weight limit. We’ll fix that as the year goes on, but that gets accentuated. The warmer it is, the closer you are to that neutral balance you were talking about and the overheating, the more that gets accentuated.
“So here, that’s really punishing us. In Monaco, it doesn’t as much. Montreal, it doesn’t as much. We have to recognize that too. But it’s more, actually, we’ve got a really wide range of balance we can put on the car. That doesn’t worry me particularly.
“We’re missing some peak downforce compared to the front runners, there’s no doubt about that. And again, in these warm conditions, it exposes you.”
The FW48 is understood to be around 28kg above the 768kg minimum weight limit, a hangover from a chaotic winter build that forced the team to accept a heavy car in order to make the grid at all.
Once time ran short, weight effectively became the compromise – parts were made heavier to ensure they passed crash tests and kept the programme moving.
What Vowles is describing now is the consequence of that compromise playing out in the worst possible environment.
Barcelona’s mix of high and medium-speed corners exposes the problem, with Alex Albon noting the team has been notably slower than midfield rivals in the medium-speed sections – corners one, three, four, and twelve – where weight and balance both levy a toll.
Carlos Sainz was already bracing himself: “I think Barcelona will be very tricky for us with the overweight and the lack of downforce, so I expect maybe going back to fighting for [getting out of] Q1,” he said after Monaco.
The team could theoretically hit the weight target quickly, but the priority is developing the car rather than simply lightening the existing components.
Shipping a lighter version of an inferior front wing isn’t progress – it’s just less of a problem.
Vowles has set the realistic goal of being back at the top of the midfield once the development phase wraps up around the end of August.
For now, Williams has a car that can be set up across a wide window and is genuinely competitive in low-speed, cooler conditions. That combination earned them something at Monaco and Montreal. Barcelona in June is a different proposition. It’s hotter, faster, and considerably less forgiving of extra kilograms. The upgrade pace will determine whether this is a painful couple of months or a painful season.
Continue reading...
The admission came when former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve put a pointed question to Vowles: “You just said, three different tracks, the car was kind of good on all three different tracks. Does that mean the car is not peaky enough, or does that mean it’s easy to set up so it will be good everywhere?”
Vowles answered: “It’s more… we’ve already said this, the car is overweight. This track punishes you in these temperatures for just not being on the weight limit. We’ll fix that as the year goes on, but that gets accentuated. The warmer it is, the closer you are to that neutral balance you were talking about and the overheating, the more that gets accentuated.
“So here, that’s really punishing us. In Monaco, it doesn’t as much. Montreal, it doesn’t as much. We have to recognize that too. But it’s more, actually, we’ve got a really wide range of balance we can put on the car. That doesn’t worry me particularly.
“We’re missing some peak downforce compared to the front runners, there’s no doubt about that. And again, in these warm conditions, it exposes you.”
Why the Weight Problem Hits Harder Here
The FW48 is understood to be around 28kg above the 768kg minimum weight limit, a hangover from a chaotic winter build that forced the team to accept a heavy car in order to make the grid at all.
Once time ran short, weight effectively became the compromise – parts were made heavier to ensure they passed crash tests and kept the programme moving.
What Vowles is describing now is the consequence of that compromise playing out in the worst possible environment.
Barcelona’s mix of high and medium-speed corners exposes the problem, with Alex Albon noting the team has been notably slower than midfield rivals in the medium-speed sections – corners one, three, four, and twelve – where weight and balance both levy a toll.
Carlos Sainz was already bracing himself: “I think Barcelona will be very tricky for us with the overweight and the lack of downforce, so I expect maybe going back to fighting for [getting out of] Q1,” he said after Monaco.
Weight Loss Takes Time, and Williams Knows It
The team could theoretically hit the weight target quickly, but the priority is developing the car rather than simply lightening the existing components.
Shipping a lighter version of an inferior front wing isn’t progress – it’s just less of a problem.
Vowles has set the realistic goal of being back at the top of the midfield once the development phase wraps up around the end of August.
For now, Williams has a car that can be set up across a wide window and is genuinely competitive in low-speed, cooler conditions. That combination earned them something at Monaco and Montreal. Barcelona in June is a different proposition. It’s hotter, faster, and considerably less forgiving of extra kilograms. The upgrade pace will determine whether this is a painful couple of months or a painful season.
Continue reading...
