Williams delighted with long runs, but struggles for single-lap pace

Williams driver Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant languished in the lower region of the leaderboards on the opening day of this weekend's British Grand Prix, but they were fairly delighted with the car's long-run pace.

Williams had a normal day at Silverstone without any issues hindering the team on home soil.

The Grove-based outfit's FW46 has lacked downforce so far this season, and this issue appears to hinder the team at Silverstone as well.

The opening practice saw Logan Sargeant hand over his car to F2 driver Franco Colapinto with teams obliged to run young drivers in practice at least twice a year.

Williams' Sporting Director Sven Smeets sounded a positive note, but he acknowledged that his team is still chasing the optimal balance.

"Overall, it has been a positive day today. Earlier this afternoon, we had Franco doing his first FP1 for us and he did a solid job, improving his lap times every time he left the garage. He then qualified 4th in F2 Qualifying an hour later so he can look back on a good day.

"Alex changed the set-up of the car quite significantly between FP1 and FP2 and this had a positive effect on the performance of the car, especially on the long runs.

"They seemed competitive this afternoon, but we still have some issues with the balance of the car on low fuel, so we need to improve that overnight ahead of FP3.

"Logan got up to speed quickly after missing FP1 and is reasonably happy with the car on low fuel but was missing some performance in the race run.

"We will be working hard tonight to find some extra performance for tomorrow. The weather forecast is changing nearly every hour so there is everything to play for in Qualifying."

Alex Albon has revealed that he was not delighted with the set-up the team started the day with which prompted him to experiment with different solutions.

"A mixed day overall. Long runs are looking promising, and the car feels good to drive relative to last year. As a Qualifying car, there’s some work to do.

"We experimented quite a lot with set-up and tyres between the two sessions, and we haven't quite got the right balance yet.

"We'll look at the data tonight and come back stronger. With a bit of British weather and some fine-tuning, I think we're in with a chance of Q3 tomorrow.

Logan Sargeant had a shorted day than he wished as he handed over his car to F2 driver Franco Colapinto in the opening session. The American driver said that he felt the lack of running in his only session.

The Miami-born racer did not share the view of his team-mate, claiming that he felt his FW46 stronger in low-fuel configuration while he was unable to achieve the same balance on high fuel.

"My first time missing FP1, so I knew I was going to have to make the step up quickly in FP2 and I feel like we did that. I came out the gate strong on low fuel which was positive. I feel like we were immediately in a good place with some clear little bits to work on.

"High fuel is a bit of a different story as there’s definitely work to do from my side. Hopefully we can have a better weekend, but we’ll have to wait and see when everyone goes for it tomorrow. Overall, today’s been a pretty strong start.

Speaking of his first FP1 appearance, F2 driver Franco Colapinto noted; "My first FP1 done! I enjoyed every lap, every corner of it, and I did the best I could. It was an amazing experience.

"There was much more on the table, and I couldn't maximise some corners, which I was getting better at on the long runs, but of course it's difficult on old tyres.

"I'm delighted that Williams has given me this opportunity, the support that I've received from the team has been on another level. I'm super proud of what we've achieved, but now I need to keep working so I can get back here one day