In the round-up: Alexander Albon thinks Williams could be capable of a stronger performance this weekend as they seek their first points of the season.
In brief
Albon “most optimistic I’ve been” about Miami
Although Williams are one of the three teams yet to have scored their first points in 2024 so far, Albon says he is feeling more confident about his team’s chances in Miami than earlier rounds.
“Actually, if you look at last year here, we had the car – before the upgrade, so it was not the quickest car – but we were still near points,” Albon told the official F1 channel.
“I think we qualified P12 at the time and we didn’t have quite as strong a race, but the areas where we really focussed on from the FW45 to the FW46, there are a lot of the corners that this track has. So I’m excited to see. Hopefully the progress is strong. Points are always going to be tricky, especially with the top five teams, but I’m the most optimistic I’ve been.”
French GP investigation
A prosecutor in France is investigating an alleged misuse of public funds by the French Grand Prix organisers during the event’s last run on the F1 calendar. The race was held at Paul Ricard between 2018 and 2022.
Le Monde reports the organisation behind the race was liquidated with debts of €32 million (£27.38m) after the event was last held.
Barnard to stand in for Bird in Berlin
McLaren’s Formula E team have announced reserve driver Taylor Barnard will stand in for Sam Bird for the next round in Berlin next weekend. The team’s regular driver suffered a broken hand in a crash in practice in Monaco.
“We’re very pleased to report positive progress on Sam’s recovery,” said team principal Ian James, “with a successful operation on his hand supporting his journey back into the car.
“Taylor did a stellar job in his last-minute call-up in Monaco, as did the team, who provided him with great support and guidance throughout. He will now be able to build on that experience, while Sam works on his recovery – with the team’s full support.”
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