Williams have been touted as a surprise potential pick for the worst-starting team in the F1 2024 season by Sky Germany commentator Sascha Roos.

Williams pulled themselves up to seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship last season, their highest finish since 2018, and hopes are high that they are able to maintain that momentum this time around.

But after a couple of technical issues halted their running in the early part of Bahrain testing, leaving them with catching up to do on their programme on the FW46.

Williams had ‘too many faults’ in testing, says Sky F1 commentator

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

With the competitive order up in the air until the cars hit the track in anger on Thursday in free practice, predictions are aplenty for which team will sit where in the pecking order.

In putting Williams at the bottom, Sky commentator Roos explained the truncated running of the team gives the impression the FW46 is not exactly where it needs to be for now.

“For me, Williams is at the back of the field before the start of the season because there were too many faults in Bahrain,” Roos wrote in a column for Sky Germany.

“They weren’t major problems, but they were always minor ones. These then prevented more laps from being driven.

“It also looked very strange for Alex Albon on Friday morning, he only did one lap at a time and then headed for the pits again.

“That gives me the impression that you don’t know exactly what you want and where the car is.”

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As for Albon himself, he is unsure where exactly Williams sit in the competitive order heading into the first race of the season this weekend.

He and team-mate Logan Sargeant were still able to clock plenty of laps between each other across the three days of testing in Bahrain, before Formula 1 returns to the same circuit this weekend.

On his targets for the season, Albon told media including PlanetF1.com: “I think it is tricky to to put an absolute number on it, what’s clear is it’s going to take a while to get there.

“Everything driving wise, setup-wise, it’s a totally different car to understand. I don’t think we’re going to hit the ground running, but we can hit the ground jogging and have a good few races hopefully.”