Williams Formula 1 team principal James Vowles explained that Alex Albon's five consecutive late pit stops during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka served as a live test session for front wing adjustments. With points out of reach, the team gathered data to correlate track performance with wind tunnel and CFD simulations. The experiments addressed ongoing challenges with the overweight FW47 car.
Williams has faced a difficult start to the 2026 season, missing private testing in Barcelona and arriving at the Australian Grand Prix with an overweight car estimated at over 20kg. This has delayed development and exacerbated long-standing front-end grip issues. At Suzuka, as a points finish became impossible, the team turned Albon's final laps into an opportunity for aerodynamic testing. Vowles said, 'What were we doing with Alex in those last few laps of the race where he was coming in and out for pitstops? We know we weren’t in a point-scoring position, but equally we want to make sure we maximise our learning.'
