2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix highlights

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan
Williams Racing

 

By Baku’s standards, the 2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was relatively incident-free, meaning we will depart the banks of the Caspian Sea empty-handed. Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant maintained their starting positions on the opening laps. Still, our number 23 was pinched inside the second corner, subsequently losing his front wing endplate.
Alex Albon

It was really tough out there today. I had some damage on my front wing for most of the race following contact with the McLaren, so there was a lot of management to do. It was tricky trying to keep the Haas behind me whilst staying close to Oscar, and there was not a lot of room for overtaking with the shortened DRS zones. We did maximise this weekend, and I think it was one of my strongest, especially coming off Australia. I think we definitely have more to find with the car, but I think I’m becoming at one with it, so hopefully, we can keep this going.

Logan Sargeant

All things considered, I learned a lot this weekend. In today’s race, we got a bit unlucky with the safety car timing at the start and fell into a bit of a lonely, frustrating race. I was stuck behind Zhou [Guanyu] for most of it. By the time he pitted, it was too late, and I was too far disconnected from the pack ahead. However, when I got in front, the car felt good, I was driving well, and the pace was not too bad. I brought a set of hard tyres a long way, and that’s all positive. Our one-lap pace this weekend was good, and I was happy, considering we only had one free practice session to go into qualifying and have a pretty good one. It would be an even better Sprint Shootout until the crash, so I’ll learn from that and move forward. The race wasn’t bad. It just fell out of our hands and was lonely and boring for most people.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance

Alex suffered front wing damage on the opening lap, which hurt the car balance and cost him downforce. Despite this, he was able to put together another very strong race; he dealt with the pressure from Gasly and Magnussen brilliantly whilst also staying close to Piastri ahead. The timing of the early safety car was unfortunate for our strategy, but that is the nature of racing at Baku. Having missed the sprint race yesterday, Logan started the Grand Prix somewhat on the back foot but still put together a solid drive to fight with Zhou and Gasly. His pace and car management were competitive and gave him valuable learning for the future. We arrived in Baku for this new style sprint event expecting it to be challenging. Although we rose to that challenge well and were able to put together a strong performance overall, it is frustrating not to get some points for our effort. Nonetheless, we head to Miami with positive momentum and another excellent opportunity to challenge the top 10.

Williams F1 Team best pictures:

2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP

Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing.
Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Friday 28th April 2023. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.

2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Friday 28th April 2023. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.

2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing FW45.
Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Saturday 29th April 2023. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Friday 28th April 2023. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.

2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP

Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing.
Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sunday 30th April 2023. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Friday 28th April 2023. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan.




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