Alexander Albon is very pleased with Williams’ first half of the season and knows the racing team didn’t expect to finish seventh in the World Championship
With seventh place, things are going relatively well for Williams so far this Formula 1 season, and Alexander Albon says that everyone in the team would have “pulled a leg” to be in such a position. That’s because if the team can hold on to that position, Williams would have scored their best result since 2017, when they finished fifth. “
Since then, they have finished last in every other season – apart from 2021, where with a bit of luck (such as the abandoned Spa race and George Russell’s second place) they managed to finish eighth ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas. In 2022 they had fallen to the back of the pack again, but in 2023 the team made a big leap.
“To be honest, I have to say it’s been a really good year for us so far,” says Albon, a little surprised himself. Because the team had actually continued to expect last place, which Albon had also said before the season opener in Bahrain: “I thank you that we are the tenth fastest team after the impressions of the test drives,” he had said.
The Thai had not expected to score points on his own, but Albon had already scored a point at the season opener. This was not to be a flash in the pan. Although Albon had an accident in the Melbourne race, he had proved the FW45’s competitiveness by starting eighth in qualifying.
Albon has made it to Q3 four times this season, and in the sprint shootout in Baku he claimed his best grid position with seventh. The highlight, however, came in Canada, when Albon finished a strong seventh, and his next strong result at Silverstone was eighth.
That currently puts Williams in seventh in the WRC, level on points with Haas and ahead of Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri. “I feel we have made a lot of progress so far since our debut in Bahrain,” Albon enthuses. “Maybe not as much as the McLarens, but we are moving in the right direction. “
“We are currently tied for seventh place in the constructors’ championship. If you had told me or anyone in the team that at the start of the year, we would have kicked ourselves for it,” he stresses.
“Of course we have to stay focused and keep working. But I am sure that as a team we can use the summer break to come back stronger,” says Albon.
Things didn’t go quite so well for Williams most recently in Belgium, with positions 14 and 17, but in general Albon is very happy with the way the season has gone, as the racing team still managed three eleventh-place finishes, which also meant they were very close to scoring points.
“It’s just great to be able to fight for points every race weekend,” he says. “And to have the feeling of being in that range every weekend, it just boosts the confidence and motivation for everyone in the team.”
“I would say we’re enjoying these moments and hopefully we can get some more points.”
However, more than position seven is no longer possible for Williams in 2023: the racing team has collected eleven points, while Alpine in position six already stands at 57.
