Why are Williams so QUICK at Silverstone? F1 aero guru explains all
Why are Williams so QUICK at Silverstone? F1 aero guru explains all
The sun was shining on Friday afternoon at the Silverstone Grand Prix, and one team in particular was raising eyebrows – not for their livery, but for the times they were setting.
FP1 saw some quick lap times from Alex Albon as he finished P3, but everyone on the grid thought that these were glory runs on low fuel. However, come FP2 when everyone was running similar programs, both the Williams stood out again, finishing a strong P3 and P5.
Let us look at some data to understand where this performance is coming from and if Williams really stand a chance to be the best of the rest at Silverstone.
Quali Run Pace
Teams fighting to be third best behind Red Bull and Ferrari at Silverstone are Mercedes, McLaren, Alpine and Aston Martin. Let us compare Williams' (Albon) data with them to see where the advantage is.
Looking at the mini-sector plots, we can see that Williams is faster for most of the track, especially dominating the top-speed sections.
Looking at the telemetry data and in particular the delta plots below, we can see the delta increasing almost linearly throughout the lap, which indicates a good overall package instead of Williams being stronger in one particular aspect. These are really encouraging signs for the team as they celebrate their 800th race at Silverstone.
Long Run Pace
This year Williams has enjoyed a top-speed advantage compared to their closest rivals, so their usual strategy in the race has been to extend their stints on the hard tyres, gain track position and then defend those with their top-speed advantage.
Unsurprisingly, while the competition around them did their long runs on the medium compound tyre, Albon did his on the hard. However, his hard tyre runs are on par with the pace of his competitors and also are very consistent with very little deg, indicating that Williams can be optimistic for the race as well.
What’s our take?
Well, against popular opinion, driven by data rather than emotions, the signs are there – we are looking at a top five finish for Williams on merit, provided it's a normal race weekend.
Shubham Sangodkar is a former F1 Aerodynamicist with a Master's in Racing Car Design specialising in F1 Aerodynamics and F1 Data Analysis. He also posts aerodynamics content on his YouTube channel, which can be found here.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 star emerges as SHOCK target for Audi
- 9 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Horner BLAMED for Newey nightmare as ‘absolute b******s’ Red Bull claims slammed
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton F1 rival makes astonishing admission with Verstappen claim
- 1 hour ago
McLaren boss keen for stunning Alonso REUNION
- 2 hours ago
Schumacher BLAMES Horner for Red Bull's Newey nightmare
- 3 hours ago
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK after team snub revealed
- 3 hours ago
Related news
British Grand Prix fate sealed in MASSIVE F1 announcement
F1 British Grand Prix 2024: Full guide and ticket details for Silverstone spectacular
Brad Pitt's F1 blockbuster film hits SETBACK after British GP filming
Wolff DEMANDS 'no stone unturned' at Mercedes to stop Red Bull dominance
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860