Williams Racing Team’s Tough Luck in Brazil
With only three races left this season, it’s good to check in on some of the teams and their new drivers. Williams Racing Team has had a rough season so far. With the removal of Logan Sargeant, replacing him, and the crashes this past weekend in Brazil. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto are new teammates and seem to be doing great with each other. Both are getting Williams points, so there's a big improvement for them after Sargeant’s departure.
The race in Brazil this past weekend was very interesting for a lot of the drivers on the grid, with only 15 drivers actually finishing the race. Albon and Colapinto were two of those drivers. Alex Albon did not even start the race due to damages on his car. He got seventh place and crashed during the qualifying race on Sunday. Colapinto crashed in qualifying as well and the actual race, getting him the DNF.
It can be argued that these are expected of these drivers, but I would disagree. Colapinto has only been in six races so far after replacing Sargeant and he has gotten Williams five of the 17 points already. Albon has gotten the other 12. So these aren’t terrible drivers. Especially Colapinto, who has been making some waves since his start with WIlliams. The team just had a bit of bad luck with the rain last weekend. The argument saying these drivers aren’t that good also brings up the thought that maybe the drivers are not worth it for the team. Again, I disagree. Albon is obviously not the best but he is better than some, and Colapinto is already showing great skill and getting his team points, something Sargeant was unable to do.
Albon wasn't the only one who did not start on Sunday. Lance Stroll also received the DNS position for crashing during the formation lap right before the lights went green. Another driver who did not finish was Carlos Sainz, who had just won the Mexican GP the previous weekend. This further proves that the crashes are not purely based on talent. Yes, the drivers need to have the skills to drive that fast in the rain on slippery tracks, but there is a bit of luck and chance to it as well. Now that there are only three races left this season, it will be good to watch Colapinto grow as a driver and hopefully, we will see him on the grid next year. Albon on the other hand, has already signed with Williams alongside Carlos Sainz. The new duos and drivers are something to keep an eye out for.
