Williams turns Japanese GP into a live test: Why Alex Albon made five pit stops in five laps. Williams used Alex Albon’s Suzuka race to perform extensive aerodynamic experiments.

Williams uses Albon’s race to gather aerodynamic data

Williams turned the final laps of Alex Albon’s race at Suzuka into a full-blown test session, executing five consecutive pit stops to make extreme front wing adjustments. These changes allowed the team to collect detailed data and map the car aerodynamically—a valuable exercise ahead of the long break before the Miami Grand Prix.

The challenge of extra weight

There is a particularly curious aspect to Albon’s Suzuka race that went largely unnoticed. It’s no secret that Williams is struggling with the extra weight of its car, estimated at over 20 kilograms, which has delayed development in several areas. This disadvantage affects the FW47, and the team hopes to mitigate it progressively with a “weight reduction” program.

While waiting for more substantial updates, it’s logical to optimize the current package, seeking aerodynamic gains wherever possible. In previous weekends, Williams already dedicated part of its sessions to addressing issues like situations where a tire lifts off the ground, reducing available grip.

Front-end grip remains an issue

The lack of front-end adhesion has been a longstanding issue for Williams, even in the previous technical cycle. Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Alex Albon explained that the team would perform experimental runs at Suzuka, continuing the approach seen in recent weekends, especially in situations where points were out of reach.

“Yes, I think what we learned in previous races was enough to validate the experiment. It seemed positive, and at the same time we believed there might have been something at the rear of the car after China, and when we replaced the gearbox the problem seemed to disappear,” Alex Albon said.

Five pit stops for extreme front wing adjustments

The experiments continued at Suzuka in the final part of the race, when the points positions were already out of reach. The team adjusted the front wing to understand how certain interventions affect the aerodynamic map and the car’s behavior. Williams called Alex Albon into the pits at the end of lap 45, fitting a new set of soft tires and varying the front wing angle.

After just one lap with this setup, Grove recalled the Anglo-Thai driver again, further adjusting the front wing by 4.5 clicks. This procedure was repeated over the next three laps, progressively changing the wing angle, sometimes by more than 4 clicks. In the final pit stop—the fifth consecutive in five laps—the tires were also replaced with a set of medium compounds.

Extensive data collection for Miami

These significant adjustments clearly show the objective: to push the car toward extreme and varied setups, gathering as much data as possible to build a broad aerodynamic map for factory analysis and comparison with simulations. The FW47 is equipped with sensors measuring pressure on aerodynamic surfaces, allowing engineers to calculate downforce and understand the car’s behavior, since front wing settings influence airflow to the rear of the car.

This data will be invaluable during the upcoming month-long break, when teams can analyze results from the first three races while preparing updates for Miami. Williams knows it must recover lost ground, and every piece of information correlating track data with simulator models can make a difference in defining development and refining setups for the rest of the season.