Albon sees the difference to the top teams: 'Doesn't mean we're wrong'

Look back on F1 2022

Albon has been part of Williams since 2022, and after a gap year, the Thai driver made a good impression. Unfortunately, that was in a weaker car, as the FW44 failed to impress, scoring only eight points, and therefore finished last in the constructors' championship. Things must be better in 2023, Albon stated in an exclusive interview with GPblog.

"A lot of the energy has been spent around focusing on the weaknesses from last year and seeing what we've done, how we've done it and why we've done it for this year. A lot of speaking to various people within the team about addressing weaknesses we've had in the car from last year," he said.

During the winter test, the FW45 already felt a lot better. "The car is feeling quicker, but the DNA is still similar. So, I feel when I talk about the car and how it feels, the weaknesses are still there but reduced. The extremes are less and that puts the car in a better window, but it's not easy."

Williams' DNA

Asked what exactly is the DNA of the Williams car, Alex replied: "We struggle with a bit of front in low speed more than the others. You can see that, especially around a circuit like here where, for example, turn 9, turn 10, it's very reliant on fronting. Very slow, turning and braking the whole way into the corner. That's a key problem for us. It's better, but you always want more. You can look at the top teams like Red Bull and you can see they're clearly doing things differently to us through that."

Albon can use his experience at Red Bull Racing to help the team build a faster car. The Thai driver, meanwhile, knows what he needs in a car. Someone who also knows that is the new team boss James Vowles. His time at Mercedes also brings in a wealth of experience.

What can Vowles add?

"He's coming with a huge amount of experience and knowledge from Mercedes. They're doing things right. They've won many championships. It's interesting to hear what he has to say. There is a difference in the way the teams work and the philosophies of those teams. As I talked about, the DNA of the cars are similar from year to year because you have similar brains working on these cars.

"When I came from Red Bull to Williams, there were a lot of things I brought to the table. I see it the same with James. Coming from Mercedes, he has a lot of different areas that he feels can help us. At the same time, there are loads of things we're doing here that are already at a very high level. We're just going through that process.

"We'll see. Just because we're different doesn't always mean we're not doing things correctly. I think there are a lot of positives to take from our car.  We don't want to be at the back every year. We do need change, but it's going to take time," Albon concluded to GPblog.