Head of Vehicle Performance for Williams Racing Dave Robson was pleased after the team scored a point and took a number of positives away from the first race of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, in Bahrain.
Alex Albon started the season with another strong performance for Williams and managed to score a singular point, despite a disappointing qualifying on Saturday. The Thai driver drove really well while managing to climb up to tenth and defend his place, despite late pressure from Yuki Tsunoda.
Logan Sargeant made an impression on his Formula 1 debut, and despite not scoring points at the Bahrain International Circuit, he put in a strong performance and finished ahead of a number of quicker teams. The American driver managed to climb up to twelfth after starting sixteenth, and finished the highest of the three rookies on the grid in 2023.
“After the frustration of yesterday, today was a good comeback that got our season off to a strong start,” Robson said.
“Although scoring a point is always rewarding, there are significantly more positives to take from today. Alex drove expertly, exactly as we know he can, and he was able to gain places and then defend strongly whilst managing his tyres to the end.
“Logan enjoyed a fantastic opening race, which has taught him a huge amount about racing in Formula One; he didn’t make a single mistake, was measured in attack and good with his tyres. He and his team have worked very hard to get to this position and they took their opportunity very well.
“This is only the first race of a long season. We have a lot of work to do but we now have some momentum to build upon and carry forward into the next races in Saudi Arabia and Australia.”
