Alex Albon has urged Williams to enhance their communication after revealing that changes were made to his car during qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix without his knowledge.
What happened?
Albon and Carlos Sainz were eliminated in the first part of qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, with Albon settling for 18th on the grid.
He gained just one position and brought his car home in 17th.
Why it matters for Alex Albon
Overtaking proved highly difficult in the absence of DRS; however, Albon believes it was what happened in qualifying that cost Williams, insisting the team "dug our own grave".
He revealed that he had not been informed about the changes made to his car in the final minutes of Q1 and called for improvements in communication.
What comes next?
Asked about things not looking right on his last qualifying run, Albon told select media, including RacingNews365: "Yeah, we made some tweaks to the car between Q1 runs two and three that I was unaware of."
Albon replied: "Yes. But that's okay, that happens."
The race itself was also a frustrating affair for Albon in what were the hottest conditions of the season so far.
It was declared a 'heat hazard' by the FIA, allowing cooling vests to be worn; however, even that proved difficult due to another Williams issue.
Discussing if he wore a cooling vest, Albon said: "I did, yes. But we have an issue with our seat. A cooling vest requires a cool seat to be used, otherwise it turns into a heating vest," he joked.
On 18 Jun, Albon finished 17th at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Thai-British driver will look to bounce back from this disappointing result at the next Grand Prix.
Albon's comments highlight the need for better communication within the Williams team to avoid similar mistakes in the future.
With the season heating up, Albon will be eager to get back on track and compete with the top drivers in the Formula 1 championship.
The Williams team will need to address their communication issues to help Albon achieve his goals and bring home better results for the team.