F1 News: AlphaTauri Upgrades In Singapore A Reason To Worry For Alex Albon And Williams

AlphaTauri's latest upgrades are cause for concern for Alex Albon.

Williams driver Alex Albon revealed that the recent spike in performance in AlphaTauri's AT04 is a cause to worry for Williams. With the team focusing on the 2024 car, no further upgrades are in the pipeline for the FW-45 F1 car this season. 

As of now, Williams is placed seventh in the constructors' championship with 21 points, ahead of Haas with 12 points, two places ahead of Alfa Romeo with 10 points, and lastly, way ahead of AlphaTauri with five points.

However, AlphaTauri's Singapore upgrades had an immediate effect on its performance at the Marina Bay Street Circuit where rookie driver Liam Lawson made it to Q3 in the 10th position. During Sunday's Grand Prix, he scored his first points by finishing ninth. 

But, in Suzuka, the team was unable to make full use of the upgrades in the Grand Prix because they chose the wrong tires. However, Albon feels that AlphaTauri now packs some serious punch for the subsequent six races. He told motorsport.com:

"I think they boxed themselves, I was really surprised by their tyre choice. 

"They gave themselves only one medium, one hard, and I think Yuki didn't even have a new soft. So they were in a tricky spot the whole race, and probably gave up a bit too much for Saturday, instead of Sunday.

"But the thing is, we rest assured this weekend, but they were quick in Singapore. And they're going to be quick again in every circuit. I think their step has been quite significant, and a little bit worrying.”

Williams' director of performance Dave Robson sided with Albon by saying that the next few races suit their car well. When asked about the expectations from the FW-45s for the upcoming Grand Prix, he added:

“I think Vegas will be interesting, because it's new and it's Vegas.

"I think that might suit the car reasonably well. But that said, it is such a big unknown. And what will the tarmac surface be like? I'm quite looking forward to going back to Qatar actually, to see how we get on there.

"But I think they're all going to be reasonably difficult now with the AlphaTauri the way it is. It's going to be tough to score too many more points."