Sun Sep 15 15:43:01 UTC 2024: ## Williams Secures First Double Points Finish of the Season in Azerbaijan

**Baku, Azerbaijan** – Williams Racing enjoyed a historic weekend in Azerbaijan, achieving their first double-points finish of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Alexander Albon and rookie Franco Colapinto secured seventh and eighth place respectively, marking a significant achievement for the team.

The result came after a strong qualifying performance, with both drivers advancing into Q3 for the first time this season. Albon’s consistent pace and strategic tire management allowed him to close in on Fernando Alonso, while Colapinto defended his position against seasoned drivers Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman.

The team’s Sporting Director, Sven Smeets, highlighted the strategic approach that led to the successful result: “We decided to split strategy between the cars… The race started well for us, and we pitted Franco who started on the Medium tyre… Alex showed some great pace in his stint. When he started to struggle with his tires, we pitted him a bit earlier than planned onto the Medium… Franco did a great job keeping Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman behind.”

The double-points finish catapulted Williams ahead of Alpine into eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship. The team’s performance also demonstrated significant progress since the introduction of the recent upgrade package.

Albon expressed his satisfaction with the result, highlighting the importance of the points: “We know how difficult it is to get P9’s and P10’s in races, so to get P7 and P8 is luxurious and we’ll take that! We’ve moved in front of Alpine now in the championship, which was our target by the end of the year.”

Colapinto, meanwhile, expressed his delight at scoring his first Formula 1 points: “To score my first points in Formula 1 is a fantastic feeling. I’m so proud of this team for what we’ve already been able to achieve together.”

With a renewed sense of confidence, Williams will now look forward to the Singapore Grand Prix, hoping to build upon their recent success.

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