Williams to introduce weight-saving upgrades in coming races

Following a tough start to the current season, Williams will bring a host of upgrades in the forthcoming races with the aim of saving weight on its FW46.

Williams have started the 2024 F1 season in a low-key form, failing to score a single point in the opening six races. The Grove-based team's 2024 F1 challenger has lacked outright pace so far, with Alexander Albon having been unable to repeat his Q3 appearances that he could achieve last year on multiple occasions.

While last year's Williams excelled on high-speed tracks due to its straight line speed, the British team had been eager to make the new car all-rounder. Team boss James Vowles confirmed that the team has achieved improvements with their 2024 F1 car which has appeared to be much more stable under braking, but it still lacks in other key areas.

Expanding on the challenges around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Williams' sporting director Sven Smeets did not disclose the expectations of his team ahead of this weekend's Imola round, albeit he said that the Grove-based squad will introduce a series of upgrades in the coming races that should cut down the overall weight of the car.

"We are looking forward to being back in Imola after the event was cancelled in 2023. After two Sprint Races in China and Miami, the first race in Europe sees us returning to the normal three-day standard format. Friday will give us plenty of opportunity to test different set-ups to fine tune the car for Qualifying and the Race.

"The Imola circuit is fast with one of the longest DRS zones, but overtaking remains difficult, which will play a role in setting the race strategy for the weekend. The weight-saving measures we're bringing over the coming races will hopefully bring overall performance to the car. The weather forecast still gives a very small risk of rain on Sunday but it looks less and less likely that weather will play a big part in this weekend’s event," added Smeets.

Speaking of the Imola F1 round, Albon said: "I’m looking forward to starting the European arm of the calendar, starting with Imola. After the unfortunate flooding last year, it will be exciting to go racing here again.

"It’s also a great feeling going into the weekend having announced my commitment to Williams for the long term, and we’re bringing some upgrades this weekend which should help with weight reduction in the car. Hopefully we see some improvements and bounce back as a team.

Williams' American driver Logan Sargeant commented: It’s great to be returning to Imola this week. I’m excited to experience racing this historic track in a F1 car for the first time. Switching back to a normal event format after back-to-back Sprints provides us with the chance to build up the weekend and fine tune our set-up. It’s a narrow circuit with limited opportunities to overtake, so we’ll be looking to maximise our Qualifying performance."