Alex Albon Hails Williams’ Progress: Equals Aston Martin and Ferrari at Dutch GP

In a recent showing at the Dutch Grand Prix, Williams driver Alex Albon demonstrated remarkable performance, placing his team on par with top contenders like Aston Martin and Ferrari. His confidence soars as he heads towards the Italian GP, thanks to the significant improvements in the FW-45 car.

Key Takeaways:

• Impressive Performance at Dutch GP: Alex Albon, driving the Williams FW-45, showcased an exceptional performance at the Dutch GP, qualifying fourth and finishing eighth. This result was particularly notable given the circuit’s layout, which generally disadvantages cars like the FW-45.
• Albon’s Comparison with Rival Teams: In a statement to GPBlog, Albon highlighted the team’s competitive pace, noting that they were on par with Aston Martin and Ferrari and even managed to overtake a Mercedes. He emphasized the car’s strength and his ability to overtake, despite the challenges posed by Zandvoort’s track layout.
• Confidence and Confusion Towards Italian GP: Looking forward to the Italian GP at Monza, Albon expressed both confidence and a bit of confusion. The recent setup changes have worked well in high downforce circuits, but their effectiveness in low-downforce tracks like Monza remains to be seen.

In a remarkable turnaround for Williams, Alex Albon’s performance at the Dutch GP has put the F1 world on notice. At Zandvoort, a circuit known for its challenging corners that typically do not favor cars like the FW-45, both Albon and his teammate Logan Sargeant excelled, making it to the final round of qualifying for the first time this year.

Albon described the weekend’s performance in detail to GPBlog: “I think we were on par with the Aston and Ferrari this weekend. If you actually think about it, we did that first stint and in the whole stint we lost maybe two seconds to the Aston and Ferrari. We were on 10 lap older tyres than they were. We were very strong. We overtook a Mercedes where we had a tyre advantage. To overtake a car around this track you need a good second and a half pace advantage to be able to do it. And we did it.”

As the F1 circus moves to Monza, known for its long straights, Albon’s optimism is evident, but he also acknowledges some uncertainties. “This gives me a lot of confidence going into Monza. At the same time it confuses me a little bit. We did a couple of set up things this weekend which worked but I think they only work in high downforce circuits. I don’t think you can get away with them in low-downforce tracks. So it will be interesting. I think we’ll take some learnings from this weekend and see what happens in Monza,” he said.

This season has been a rollercoaster for Williams, but Albon’s recent remarks and performance suggest that the team may be finding its footing once again, with an eye on continued improvement and possibly more surprises as the season progresses.