Coulthard Has Cautioned That Williams May Encounter Repercussions If The FW48 Upgrade Package Does Not Succeed...
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has warned that "heads will roll" if the Williams team's upgraded FW48 doesn't show an immediate performance boost. The Grove team has struggled all season with a car that's too heavy. After 14 rounds, they are ninth in the constructors' championship with 11 points: six from Carlos Sainz and five from Alex Albon.
They have now introduced a major upgrade package, which team principal James Vowles described as almost creating a B-spec car, at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix to try to climb the grid. On an episode of the Up To Speed podcast, the former McLaren driver shared his expectation for a noticeable improvement from the Vowles-led team. "I believe, having spoken to some team members, that it is a significant step as the car will now be on weight, and we know 10kg is worth three to four tenths of a second per lap," Coulthard said.
"Carrying extra weight puts you at a disadvantage. This will also be a step towards the direction they are taking the car for next year. There are some aerodynamic changes for next year's regulations, particularly around the front of the floor, which may benefit some teams more than others. But I'm expecting something similar to what we saw with Aston [Martin], where there was a clear improvement in their performance with their B-spec car. And if it doesn't happen, naturally there will be consequences."
Sainz and Albon finished the first practice session in Baku in 12th and 13th positions and the second practice session in 17th and 16th, respectively.
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