Capito: First Williams point of season a relief after tough start

The team realised after testing that it hadn’t made the expected step with the FW44, and then progress wasn’t helped by two heavy accidents in Saudi Arabia for Nicholas Latifi that led a huge effort to ready his car for Melbourne. Latifi was then involved with a collision with Lance Stroll in Q1 in Australia.

Meanwhile having suffered damage in a collision with Stroll in the Jeddah race Alex Albon went to Australia with a three-place grid penalty, only to be excluded from qualifying and sent to the back of the grid after he failed to provide a fuel sample. He was told to stop on track at the end of Q1 after the need to do an unexpectedly fast out lap after the red flag saw consumption higher than expected.

For the race the team put Albon on new hard tyres and then gambled on leaving him out during the various safety car periods. He was running seventh on the penultimate lap when he finally pitted and secured 10th. The single point puts Williams in ninth in the World Championship, ahead of Aston Martin.

"Of course, it's a relief for the team,” Capito told Autosport. “To get a point early in the season is quite encouraging. We had a very difficult start. And also this weekend was difficult after Saturday.

“But that's a good thing in racing, that things can change on a Sunday. And it's not over before it's over. And if you keep pushing and always be motivated and keep the team alive, and believing in itself in difficult times, then fortune can change. Sometimes has it go worse before it gets better.”

Jost Capito, CEO, Williams Racing, in the Press Conference

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Capito acknowledged that the run of accidents had been difficult for the team.

“No damage today. It really helps for Imola!