Williams may as well “go home” if spares situation changes its F1 approach, says Albon

The Thai driver and team-mate Logan Sargeant have faced a challenging start to the season with Williams having been without a spare chassis and not being flush with replacement parts.

With Sargeant having been forced to sit out the Australian Grand Prix because of the need for his team-mate to take his car, and the American crashing in opening practice in Japan, things were not helped much in the Suzuka race when Albon hit the barriers after an opening lap clash with Daniel Ricciardo.

Williams has pulled out all the stops since Suzuka though, with both cars running the latest front wing that was introduced in Japan. Furthermore, Albon will run with a revised Halo fairing.

But although mindful about the spare parts issue not being totally behind it yet, Albon said that the team could not afford to alter its racing mindset as it chases its first points of the year.

Asked by Autosport how challenging the current situation was, Albon said: “You go about your racing not really thinking about it, if I'm totally honest.

“Obviously, it's there, but the moment that you start to think about the lack of parts, or the lack of whatever, you might as well stay home.

“You have got to attack the weekend like you do any other weekend. You can't treat it any differently. You've got to be on the limit to feel what the limit is, and you've got to get a balance for the car.

Albon damaged a second chassis of the season in Japan

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“It’s one of those ones where you do have to kind of part block your brain and just go about racing as normal.”

Albon had nothing but praise for the way in which Williams had worked to get both cars fitted with as many new parts as possible.

“It's been a tremendous effort,” he said. “Obviously, we've been on the backfoot with the crashes, and it is no secret that we were already on the back foot before the crashes.

“So it's another mighty job as always, and we have to rely on the staff back at Grove to pull things together – as they continuously do so."

“And it is very, very important, especially coming into a sprint race as well, with all the possibilities of whatever can happen this weekend, you kind of want to be as best prepared as possible.

“Races like this, where it's so unknown, are an opportunity for teams like us.”