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Alex Albon is still determined to prove his worth to everyone in F1, despite not being in a position to fight for top honors after his move from Red Bull to Williams.
Albon is a product of the Red Bull Junior Drivers Academy and started his F1 career with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2019 before swapping seats with Pierre Gasly midway through the campaign.
The Thai-British driver hit the ground running with a slew of impressive performances in the second half of 2019 before his form dipped considerably in 2020. This resulted in him being dropped and Red Bull choosing to sign Sergio Perez. The Mexican has since extended his contract to run until the end of the 2024 season.
Despite having no avenue to go back to Red Bull in the immediate future, Albon is not fussed. Speaking in an interview with Tobias Grüner from German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the Thai-British driver was asked about the differences in his approach, having moved from a front-running team to a backmarker. Albon said:
“Of course Red Bull has financial advantages, which still have an impact even with a budget cap. But in terms of structure and working methods, both teams are very similar. The dynamics also always depend on the personalities of the employees.”
When asked if not being able to fight for podiums and wins has impacted his mindset, Albon replied:
“It has no effect on my motivation. I’m determined to prove to people what I’m capable of. I still have a few scores to settle with Formula 1. Of course, the perspective is a little different. Points are like victories for us. But you learn that quickly. I’m still having a lot of fun. We can see the progress. It would be more difficult if we didn’t continue to develop.”
"The break in 2021 came in handy" - Alex Albon on how stepping away from F1 helped him improve
During the aforementioned Auto Motor und Sport interview, Alex Albon also underlined how his enforced hiatus from F1 in 2021 helped him improve as a driver.
Albon's time at Red Bull was tough right from the get-go, primarily due to the team expecting him to operate near the same level as Max Verstappen. This proved to be a hill too steep for the Thai-British driver to climb at that point in his career.
Looking back at it with the benefit of hindsight on his side, Alex Albon said:
“It was the experience that was lacking. If you look at the gaps between Checo (Perez) and Max (Verstappen) at the start of last year, it was no different to me. I took a lot of criticism for my performance. That’s where the break in 2021 came in handy. When you’re not driving yourself, you can take a step back and suddenly see the whole picture. I realized how important it is to get everything out of the car. Sometimes you don’t feel comfortable with a setup, but it’s still the best setup. I had to understand that first.”
Presently, Alex Albon has three points this season and is the only Williams driver to have scored points this year. He is in P19 in the World Drivers' Championship standings with the 2022 F1 Belgian GP fast approaching in a fortnight.
