Getting off the mark ‘a relief’ for Williams

Williams team principal Jost Capito has described Alex Albon’s point in Melbourne as a “relief” for the team, now they are off and running in the Constructors’ standings.

Albon went from being excluded from the qualifying results and starting last on the grid to pulling off an audacious strategy by only stopping on the penultimate lap at Albert Park to take an unlikely P10 finish for Williams, much to the team’s delight.

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That result now leaves Aston Martin as the only constructor yet to get off the mark, and Capito took it as a sign of how the team can improve in the coming races after a start to the year that has seen them largely off the pace of the midfield.

“It’s a relief for the team,” said Capito, quoted by the French edition of Motorsport.com. “To get a point early in the season is pretty encouraging. We’ve had a very difficult start to the year.

#OnThisDay in 1942, the late great Sir Frank Williams was born.

Wishing the great man a very happy heavenly birthday .#F1 pic.twitter.com/SQGPiPST0u

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) April 16, 2022

“The weekend was also complicated after Saturday. But it was better in the race – things can change on Sunday. And it’s not over until it’s over.

“If you keep pushing and keep motivated and keep the team alive, keep believing in them in the difficult moments, the luck can change. Sometimes it has to get worse