Analysis | Is Alexander Albon ready for a step up?

Alex Albon was never a super talent. The year George Russell took the Formula 2 title and Lando Norris finished second, Albon was the number three driver in the championship (ahead of Nyck de Vries, by the way). Four wins in the 2018 season was a respectable number, yet F1 teams were not lining up for the London-born Albon. While Russell and Norris were able to make the move to Formula 1 (Williams and McLaren respectively), Albon looked set to continue his racing career in Formula E. In fact, he had already signed a contract with Nissan e.dams. But suddenly there was Helmut Marko.

Marko came out to Albon

The advisor to Red Bull Racing and - the then - Toro Rosso needed a driver for the latter team in a hurry, having sidelined Brendon Hartley on his Marko's moments earlier. In November 2018, there were still few decent drivers on the market, and somewhat by necessity he therefore ended up with Albon. The latter, incidentally, had once briefly been a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, only - like so many talents - to be quickly pushed aside again by the Austrians.

Albon did very nicely for the first half of the season at Toro Rosso. Not overly top, but solid. In any case, his performance was enough for Marko and Christian Horner to transfer him to Red Bull Racing in his first season right after the summer break. Although that switch was mainly prompted by Red Bull being dissatisfied with Pierre Gasly, much less because they thought Albon was ready for the top team. As it turned out, Albon was also crushed by Max Verstappen, as the Dutchman now does with every teammate.

Criticism came and the inexperienced Albon did not improve as a result. He too was eventually thanked for services rendered. After a year in DTM, however, Albon was given a second chance in Formula 1. Freed from all the pressure and no doubt learning from previous experiences, he has been proving himself the absolute leader of Williams for a season and a half now.

Sargeant not frame of reference for Albon

Well, his teammate Logan Sargeant is by no means a good frame of reference. The American has been totally outclassed by Albon this season, but it should also be noted that Sargeant - at the moment - simply lacks the level for F1. The difference in qualifying between the two is staggering: as much as 0.480 seconds Albon is on average faster than the rookie. All 12 Grand Prix, Albon started ahead of Sargeant.

Much more interesting is to see how Albon's performance compares to his rivals. In 12 Grands Prix in 2023, the Thai will start on average from the 12.9 position. That with a car that is not considered the best on the grid (by any means), although the car's straight-line speed is fine. Especially on high-speed circuits, the Williams excels, at least in Albon's hands, on that one fast lap.

During races, the Williams' weaknesses show up more often, and yet Albon already managed to finish in the points three times. His seventh place in Canada was spectacular, mainly because of the way Albon kept the faster cars of Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) in his mirrors. Not for a moment did Albon give them a chance to pass the Williams.

Albon mentally strengthened

It was this Grand Prix in Montreal that showed that Albon has become a complete driver: he can get the maximum out of his car during qualifying (sometimes even a little more) and in man-to-man battles Albon also stands his ground. Even with inferior material. From this point of view, the question whether Albon is ready for a step up can be answered with a resounding yes.

At the same time, racing for Williams is totally different from racing for a Red Bull Racing or Mercedes. Of course Williams races in Formula 1, the pressure there is nonetheless not comparable to a top team. It is precisely on the mental plane that Albon has become stronger, he revealed during an interview with GPblog. Albon has had plenty of setbacks in his career, for instance when Red Bull relegated him to DTM. But Albon kept working hard, believing in a return to Formula 1. A lesser race at Williams does not make Albon go off the rails. Just as he doesn't run beside his shoes after a fine result in Montreal.

A return to Red Bull Racing?

Suppose Red Bull were to put him alongside Verstappen again, there is a very good chance the Dutchman would beat Albon almost every race. But will the margin structurally be more than three tenths (like the difference on average between Verstappen and Sergio Perez is)? So Albon proved this season that he is making maximum use of all the material made available to him. If he brings that quality from his Williams years to Red Bull, the Thai will definitely stay close to Verstappen. Moreover, Albon is not the type to put his car in the gravel trap on the first lap of free practice.

A return to Red Bull Racing does not seem realistic at the moment. But is Albon less than Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who may eventually move to Audi? Or what if Lando Norris leaves McLaren in a year's time? Then Albon would certainly not be out of place. If the Thai keeps up the current line, that opportunity at a better team than Williams is certainly going to come.