Formula 1

Suzuka ‘should offer a much better opportunity for the FW44’

Motorsport Technology
05 Oct 2022
3 min read

Following straight on from a frustrating outing in Singapore, the Williams Racing team, partnered by Acronis, believes it is much better shape to once again challenge for valuable points as the Formula One circus heads to iconic Suzuka.

Both the fit again Alexander Albon and teammate Nicholas Latifi both drew blanks at the tight Marina Bay circuit, but Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson thinks that Suzuka should offer a much better fit for the characteristics of the FW44.

“Following a challenging weekend in Singapore, we are looking forward to moving on to Suzuka, which should offer a much better opportunity for the FW44,” said Robson in his team’s press release. “It has been a few years since we last raced here but the circuit won’t have changed too much and will still present a great technical challenge for both the drivers and the engineers.

“Overtaking is not easy in Suzuka but it is possible and the racing is always good here. The drivers will need to quickly find a rhythm, especially through the Esses, but once they have that, the laptime can improve very quickly.”

Renowned for being one of the purest tests of driver skill with corners such as 130R, the iconic Suzuka circuit is a favourite for almost every driver.

“Japan is one of my favourite circuits on the calendar and I really enjoy Suzuka as a place,” commented Albon. “I think this track will suit our car a lot more than Singapore however, I think with the weather looking a bit up and down, it should make for an interesting weekend.

“I’m very excited to be heading back to Japan as it’s one of my favourite places for racing as well as to visit, so let’s see what we can do.”

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing FW44. Singapore Grand Prix, Saturday 1st October 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

For teammate Nicholas Latifi, Suzuka represents an exciting new test that the Canadian is unsurprisingly looking forward to in his last season for the team.

“Japan is one of the tracks I’m most looking forward to driving on the calendar,” added Latifi. “Besides Singapore it’s now the last one that I’m still yet to experience as a Formula 1 driver and I haven’t driven it in any other category.

“It’s always very exciting to learn new tracks and especially coming to a track like Suzuka which is a hardcore old school circuit. It definitely looks like a layout I will enjoy with it being fast and flowing in certain sections with little margin for error.”

TEAM UP WITH ACRONIS

Prominent once again on the nose of the car and on the front wing endplates this season are the team’s official cyber protection partner Acronis. Williams Racing uses Acronis technology to add extra layers of protection to its IT infrastructure, protecting hundreds of servers and endpoint devices.

During the 2021 season and continuing this year, Acronis opened up an exciting #TeamUp Program, giving new and existing service providers the opportunity to support sports partnerships, join the sports ecosystem, attend races and enjoy amazing sports marketing benefits. To find out more, please visit Cyber Protection for global sports – Acronis

Williams Racing FW44 front wings.
Spanish Grand Prix, Thursday 19th May 2022. Barcelona, Spain.

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