Why the Dutch GP is key to saving Williams’ F1 season

The Dutch Grand Prix will be a pivotal weekend in Williams' F1 season, as it has now confirmed it will bring a sizeable upgrade to the round succeeding the summer break.

James Vowles, team principal of the Grove-based squad, told media including RacingNews365 of the plans to introduce updates at Zandvoort in the round prior to the shutdown, at Spa-Francorchamps.

The 45-year-old explained there would hopefully be further developments in Baku or Singapore, with an emphasis on shedding the excess weight of the Williams FW46.

A winter change in philosophy has allowed Williams to start incrementally stripping off weight from the chassis, which would not have been possible under the previous concept.

Vowles has mentioned on multiple occasions in the past that the team is happy with its aerodynamic approach and performance, and that the key to being more competitive lies in how much it can reduce the weight of the car.

Whilst the Baku or Singapore stage has yet to be confirmed, the team has met its first target. Now it is a case of seeing what that translates to on track.

"We are bringing one of our bigger upgrades to Zandvoort so will need some time to understand how the FW46 behaves and performs," said Williams sporting director Sven Smeets.

Zandvoort is a track the team performed well at last season, when Alexander Albon qualified in fourth position before ultimately taking home four points by finishing in eighth place.

"Last year we performed well, being one of our best qualifying sessions of the year," the 28-year-old highlighted ahead of the weekend.

The team currently only has four points through the opening 14 rounds of 2024, so any significant upgrade package could transform its fortunes with the team sitting ninth in the constructors' standings.

Albon went on to also address the upgrades, adding: "Additionally, we’ll be bringing upgrades to the car this weekend, so I’m looking forward to testing these out and seeing how the FW46 performs."