Albon believes the groundwork laid by Williams Racing in recent months will eventually pay off amid a performance slump in the first half of 2024 F1 season.
Alex Albon has recently articulated his unwavering commitment to Williams Racing, underlining the team’s focus on long-term progress despite facing a challenging performance slump at the start of the 2024 season.
This commitment is underscored by his multi-year contract extension, which will keep him with the team through at least the end of the 2026 F1 season, coinciding with Carlos Sainz’s arrival ahead of major regulatory changes in the sport.
The ex-Red Bull driver joined Williams in 2022 and proceeded to secure 27 points last season under new team boss James Vowles as the Grove-based outfit finished an impressive seventh in the constructors’ championship.
Despite the optimism surrounding the future, the team has faced significant challenges in the current season. The FW46 chassis has been described as overweight, impacting performance on the track.
Albon candidly admitted that he had to “bite his lip” regarding the car’s weight issues, which have masked the team’s overall progress. He explained that while the team has made improvements, the excess weight has hindered their competitiveness, making it difficult to translate potential into results.
“We are obviously not where we want to be,” the British-Thai driver said at the Hungarian Grand Prix. “Truthfully, I feel like that’s testament to the other teams too. That midfield group has made such a huge step.
“We’ve made a good step but relative to the others, maybe we are holding back a little bit. I think the Haas has been the standout in the group.
“But at the same time, it’s not like I’m here with my head in my hands not understanding where it is.
“I feel like we’ve done a lot of changes within the team, last year into this year, there’s been big changes around the DNA of the car, but also the structure of the team.
“When you put the team under that much work and do that many changes, it shows the cracks. We had an overweight car, that’s been made public now.
“It’s a real shame that at the start of the year, we were not on-weight where we should have been, because our car should have been in the points consistently for the first few races and then we would have shuffled down to where we are now.
“A lot of what-ifs but I’m happy we’re getting the foundations in place. I don’t think without the changes we’ve made, I would ever see us as a team that can get out of this backfield battle, and I feel like now at least we’ve got foundations that can bring us up.”
While Albon believes that Vowles’ long-term plan will bring the former F1 titan back to the forefront of the grid, he anticipates another two years of hard work before the team starts contending for wins.
The multi-year contract that Ferrari race winner Carlos Sainz signed added even more weight to Vowles’ ambitions. In 2025, Sainz will take over from American driver Logan Sargeant.
“If I am being totally honest, I don’t see us being in position to fight for wins and titles for a while, but to do steps where we start nipping in and getting podiums and whatnot,” Albon added.
“I believe that 2026 would be difficult, but winning in ‘27 would be much more realistic. We’ve got great investment, and we’re recruiting very aggressively.
“We don’t need any encouragement. With the last couple of years, especially seeing that growth that we’ve had – of course we’re going through a tougher time of it now – but that drive and that motivation in the team, it is really enjoyable to be part of that.
“I have been very much a part of the project. James has brought me into it. He’s very straight. He doesn’t tell you things are better than they actually are, and I like that.
“I feel like whenever something’s not come to plan he tells me the areas that the team needs to work on. He tells me if there’s anything I can do to help.
“He is the right man for the job and I believe in him and feel like we’ve got the right people.”
