Williams had to work very hard to get two race cars ready for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after a costly outing last time out in Brazil.
The British team experienced three crashes on Sunday at Interlagos during qualifying and the Grand Prix, including Franco Colapinto’s shunt on the pit straight during the race.
Williams have improved this year and have made their car more of an all-rounder rather than focusing on top speed.
This makes the car more competitive on a range of tracks than a few venues, such as Monza and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Colapinto has impressed by pushing Alex Albon in the team. The Argentine has learned the steering wheel, but Karun Chandhok spotted one thing on Sky Sports F1 that was missing from the display on both cars.
Karun Chandhok spotted the lap time delta missing on both Williams’ steering wheels
Williams ran a unique steering wheel setup with the display on the bulkhead in previous seasons before moving to a more conventional screen.
There is a lot of information on the display, such as the selected gear as well as brake temperatures, which are especially important in the cold of Las Vegas.
READ MORE: Alex Albon shares what ‘karting style’ skill he started using once he reached Formula 1
Some drivers have a lap time delta which allows them to follow how they are comparing to their personal best lap time.
Chandhok explained that both Albon and Colapinto may have had the delta removed which can have some complications. Colapinto may lead the Argentine Grand Prix back to the calendar if he can stay on the grid.
He said: “Interesting to see, by the way, on the dashboard, there’s no lap delta on there. On the top right corner, they would normally have a lap delta, the lap reference.
“So that would tell you your time on this lap compared to your previous best. But I heard Alex Albon say he had that removed, and I noticed on the dashboard, next to the number seven, that’s a gear indicator.
“On the right, that box that’s empty would normally have the lap reference. They seem to have removed it on both Williams’, which is interesting.”
Franco Colapinto has very few options for a 2025 seat in F1
Colapinto has performed admirably since making his Formula 1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix and replacing Logan Sargeant.
There are no options at Williams as they are committed to Albon and Spaniard Carlos Sainz who is switching from Ferrari.
A seat on the grid for Colapinto next season would be significant, but RB may be the only team that can offer him a drive.
He has been linked with Red Bull but he may be behind Liam Lawson in the queue if the Austrian team parts ways with Sergio Perez.
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