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Alex Albon has made a good first impression on Williams CEO Jost Capito. The Thai-British driver arrived to replace the departing George Russell, who signed a massive new contract to join Mercedes for the forthcoming season.
With the first round of pre-season testing under his belt, Capito feels Alex Albon has exceeded the team's expectations. When asked to share his thoughts on the former Red Bull man's showing in Barcelona, Capito said:
“I’m very impressed, he is very good on the information he gives on evaluating the car. He is quite calm. He has a very good feeling for the car. He worked well with the engineers and with the overall team. I think is the right balance between nice guy and when he is in the car, he understands it. He’s pushing and he is a fighter. I expected him to be really good within the team, but he exceeded my expectations.”
Alex Albon also weighed in on his return to F1 with Williams after a season away from the sport. He said:
“There’s a great buzz in the team. I like this team a lot. Obviously, we’ve had a short relationship, but the guys are great and very motivated to do well, which is important. They’ve come off a great year last year and the hope is to keep that momentum going. There’s new investment from Dorilton and they’re also very motivated, they’re very positive people and there’s a great combination there. I feel like we have the recipe for a great year and future really at Williams. I’m excited to see what it has to offer.”
Alex Albon could be compelled to change flags for 2022 F1 season
While Alex Albon can rejoice at his return to the F1 grid in 2022, the Thai-British driver may have to race under a different flag from his usual one.
Albon has raced under Thailand's flag in years past. A Reuters report, however, confirmed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has declared North Korea, Indonesia and Thailand as non-compliant.
This means the three nations will be ineligible to host regional, continental or world championships during the suspension amid other ramifications. The suspension is expected to last for a year.
While athletes from the three countries will be eligible to compete in regional, continental and world championships, their national flags will not be shown, barring an exception for the Olympic Games.
Under such circumstances, Albon may be forced to race under the Union Jack, the flag used by all British drivers as he shares the nationality.
