Albon – Williams, a successful duo which does not surprise George Russell

After spending a year in the closet as a reserve and development pilot at Red Bull, Alexander albon made an honorable start to the season at Williams for his return to F1. It must be said that the Thai got into the rhythm from the first Grands Prix within his new team. For the third round of the calendar in Australia, the 26-year-old driver scored his first point in his new colors with 10th place after starting last. A performance which does not surprise the former “owner” of his seat at Williams and great friend, George Russell.

« I think Alex did an exceptional job, declared the Briton. There was obviously no secret he went through a tough time at Red Bull, but I think all of us, probably even Max (Verstappen) included, knew how talented Alex was. » 

Under the Red Bull fold, the Thai had climbed the ranks step by step, starting at Toro Rosso (became AlphaTauri) before joining the parent team in 2019 to replace Pierre Gasly. Alongside the Dutchman, Alexander Albon suffered and experienced the same fate as the Frenchman and was replaced by Sergio Pérez at the end of 2020. But George Russell suspected that the abilities of his long-time friend were still present despite his ouster. “ We've all been racing against each other since 2011. Alex was a few years older than us, so he was sort of competing with (Nyck) de Vries at the time in KF1 (highest category in karting. Editor’s note). And he was always there, he was always one of the best. So it's no surprise to me and I'm happy to see that he's back in Formula 1 and, I think, has consolidated his position. »  

Alexander Albon – Nicholas Latifi as in F2

At Williams, Alexander Albon was able to find Nicholas latifi whom he had already encountered in Formula 2 at DAMS in 2018. “ When Alex was announced as my future teammate, I had no doubt that he was going to be on pace immediately, even if he missed a year.", explains the Canadian.

After the departure of George Russell, the Thai's task was not easy at Williams. The Briton managed to climb to 15th place in the rankings with 16 points. Nicholas Latifi who drove alongside the two drivers sees some similarities. “ It goes without saying that they are both extremely fast drivers. I obviously raced against him (Alexander Albon) in 2018 as a teammate, and I know how fast he was… There's obviously some little differences in the styles here and there. I'm not going to share the secrets of the driving style because maybe they don't want to give it away! »

This year, Alexander Albon dominates Nicholas Latifi as George Russell was able to do the two previous seasons. But despite his performances, the Thai is not yet guaranteed to continue the adventure at Williams next year since his contract only runs until next December. It's up to the 26-year-old driver to be convincing to Grove's leaders on all fronts to obtain an extension at the risk of finding himself on the sidelines again.

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