Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: This event marks the beginning of the end of the 2023 season: 5 races to go, split into a triple header followed by a double header. This weekend we are back in Austin, at the Circuit of the Americas, for the penultimate Sprint Event of the year, before we travel on to Mexico and Brazil.
The COTA circuit is a fascinating mix of corner types, gradient changes and lengthy straights. In addition, the areas of the circuit that were resurfaced early in 2022 will now have aged but there may be some new track bumps to discover during FP1.
The weather looks to be set fair for the whole weekend with high temperatures but only a moderate breeze. The session times mean that FP1, Sprint Shootout and the Grand Prix take place in the hottest conditions but Qualifying and the Sprint Race will run in the early evening. The tyre compounds available this weekend are from the middle of the Pirelli range and one of the challenges of the event will be to understand their behaviour as the track evolves and the temperatures change.
This is a great circuit for F1 racing and will, like Qatar two weeks ago, present a major challenge for the drivers and engineers who between them, have to get the cars prepared and into Parc Ferme after only a single 60mins practice session. Unlike Qatar, both Alex and Logan have driven F1 cars here before and so they should be able to hit the ground running and benefit from the experience of 12 months ago.
Over the last few months, we have got ourselves into a good position in the Championship, but the competition is intense and the teams around us are all capable of scoring points. We will be working very hard to strengthen our position at each of the remaining events and we are excited by the prospect of pushing the FW45 to the very end of the season.
Alex Albon: I’m very excited to be heading back to Austin; it’s one of the best tracks of the year in terms of atmosphere and the fans. It also feels almost like another home race for the team and will be exciting for Logan to return home once again this year. We have another sprint race format, so it will be important to be on the pace early in the weekend, with limited practice. Either way, I’m exciting to go racing at this circuit, as it’s got a great flow to it.
Logan Sargeant: I’m so excited to get back on track especially in front of the home crowd this weekend. Austin is one of my favourite cities in the world. The Circuit of the Americas is a special place for me as it’s where I was officially announced as a Williams Racing Academy Driver in 2021 and, last year, where I made my FP1 debut. To now be racing there will be extra special. Having previous experience of driving the track is helpful with it being a Sprint weekend. Hopefully, we can have a good one and put on a show for the fans.
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