Albon: Williams struggle with the front tyres

Williams driver Alexander Albon says that his car was unable to get the front tyres in a good operating window on the opening day in Monaco, albeit he took delight from the fact that his overweight car is less of a disadvantage around the narrow streets of Monaco.

Alexander Albon complained a lot on the tyres during the second practice session, stating that tyres do not behave optimally in Turn 3. The Thai driver's main problem was that his tyres suffered from graining, which hindered his setup work.

However, when it came to one-lap pace, the Thai driver was delighted as be felt that his overweight FW46 was less of a disadvantage on the narrow streets of Monaco where additional weight is not so punishing as on other tracks.

"It’s been okay today; we have the same issue as last year with our car struggling to get the front tyres in a good window and when they’re not in a good window, they open up and start graining.

"The concept of our car tends to lend itself to this kind of circuit with it being an area we’ve been focusing on.

"The weight isn’t such a big factor around here, so it feels like we’re on a more level playing field. Q2 is a good goal but hopefully, we can be in the higher end of this," added Albon.

His team-mate Logan Sargeant jumped put of his FW46 with mixed feelings, claiming that there is a lot to do to find the optimal balance.

"There were some good and bad moments today, however FP2 wasn’t very smooth. We have some work to do tonight on the low and high fuel, and whilst it wasn’t the best today, it’s still a pleasure to drive the streets of Monaco.

"We need to fix the balance and get the tyres in a better window, understanding the variables more to bring it all together. There’s lots to gain out there, so we’ll do some work tonight and see what we can do tomorrow," added Sargeant.

Speaking of Williams' form on the opening day at the Monaco Grand Prix, Sporting Director Sven Smeets said: "The first day in Monaco is always a bit tricky as the track is a real challenge for every driver from start to finish. Drivers need some laps to get in the rhythm and to start building up confidence.

"We had a reasonably good day today with both drivers being able to do their full run plans in both FP1 and FP2. Alex showed some promising pace on the Soft tyre but the long run in FP2 proved we still have some overnight work to do to improve the car for the race on Sunday.

"The key will be to find the right balance between Qualifying and Race-pace. As the chance for showers tomorrow is decreasing it seems we are heading to a dry Qualifying which will be well appreciated by the fans," Smeets concluded.