The Grove-based outfit is heading into the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi seven points ahead of AlphaTauri in the fight for seventh place in the constructors’ contest.
But with AlphaTauri having made impressive gains with its car since a major upgrade arrived at the Singapore Grand Prix, the buffer offers no guarantee to Williams that it can hold on.
The battle is a significant one because the F1 prize money teams receive each year is based on its finishing position in the points table.
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While the final prize money on offer depends on the total sum of commercial rights income F1 receives, the gaps between the different positions can be estimated.
Based on information from insiders, if the prize pot distributed among teams is $1billion, then the share between the seventh and eighth teams is around $9million.
This is because the seventh-placed team takes 8.7% of the total prize pot, with the eighth-placed squad receiving 7.8%.
But, while Albon says the extra income from finishing seventh, as well as a better position in the paddock, would be hugely welcome at Williams, the team should have no regrets if it loses out in the end as the result of having switched off its 2023 car development early.
Source: Autosport