F1 News
Albon needs to be tougher on Williams: 'He's too nice sometimes'
- GPblog.com
After a year out of Formula 1, Alexander Albon returned as a Williams driver in 2022. The team has benefited a lot from Albon's experience, but according to the British team's technical director, he could be a bit harder on the team sometimes.
In 2019, Albon made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri). Halfway through the season, he was promoted to Red Bull Racing after Pierre Gasly's disappointing results. However, after a difficult 2020 season, the Thai driver had to make way for Sergio Perez. Thanks to Red Bull's support, Albon was able to return to the sport in 2022 with Williams.
Although Albon could not do much in the Williams car and mainly drove at the back of the grid, he did prove that he is still a great talent. Albon dominated teammate Nicholas Latifi and managed to finish in the points three times. Meanwhile, alongside the track, the car was being worked on with the 26-year-old's help.
Albon sometimes 'too nice'
"Because of his experience [in F1], it’s helped us and given us the right direction," technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison says opposite Formula1.com. "He’s a nice person – sometimes too nice. He needs to be a bit more hard with the team and push us a bit more, but I’m working on this. If you want to be a World Champion, you have to be like this.”
Next year, Albon may be more challenged within the Williams team. Indeed, rookie Logan Sargeant will take over the seat from Latifi, who has not been given a contract extension after three disappointing seasons.