Williams Team Faces Setbacks at 2025 Canadian Grand Prix
MONTREAL – The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix marked a challenging weekend for the Williams team, despite initial optimism. Team principal James Vowles elaborated on the mishaps that derailed their promising performance, particularly the significant failure of driver Alex Albon’s engine cover.
“Friday was a weekend full of promise, and on the fast track, the car showed competitive pace,” Vowles stated in the latest Vowles Verdict update. Albon finished fourth in Friday’s second practice session (FP2), while teammate Carlos Sainz secured a top-three position in FP1. However, the team could not replicate this form on Saturday.
Environmental factors played a crucial role in the team’s decline. “On Saturday, the wind strength increased, and track temperatures rose by 7 degrees, which affected our car more than others,” Vowles explained.
The situation worsened when Albon’s engine cover suffered a failure, causing a red flag during Q1. “This hindered Carlos as he was on a fast lap and could not complete it,” Vowles noted. Albon’s misfortune meant he was unable to progress, with Sainz subsequently eliminated from qualifying after being impeded due to the track disruption.
Despite efforts from the team to manage the incident, “We put immense pressure on Alex and the pit crew, and they executed flawlessly to get the car ready for Q3,” Vowles emphasized. Albon managed to qualify for Q3, but the subsequent race did not yield the expected results.
On race day, Albon struggled at the start, and despite a strategic push towards a one-stop strategy, he faced another setback with a cooling system failure that resulted in a DNF. Sainz finished P10, earning the team a single championship point. “Well done to Carlos for a brilliant recovery,” Vowles acknowledged. “However, as a whole, we need to learn from this weekend regarding reliability, operations, and strategy.”
The Williams team will look to regroup and apply these lessons as they head into the Austrian Grand Prix next week.
