General
Albon's new contract helps him make Williams more competitive
- GPblog.com
Alexander Albon extended his contract at Williams for several years at the beginning of August. The British-Thai was sort of loaned to the team by Red Bull in 2022 and that collaboration was so good that Albon signed a multi-year contract. For Albon, it gives a certain peace of mind, which in turn also benefits Williams.
It's unclear how long Albon signed with Williams, but Albon seems certain of a Formula 1 seat at least until 2024. That was different in recent years. Albon was promoted to the big Red Bull Racing after only half a season at Toro Rosso, but after a year and a half he was sidelined and there was no more room at AlphaTauri either. As a result, the 26-year-old driver was forced to watch from the sidelines for a year.
Williams picked him up and Albon rewarded the trust placed in him. It thus earned him a contract extension. "I spent most of my time surviving in Formula 1, I had to perform. Now that I have that stability and can focus on the future, it's more about how to move the team forward. Where should development go?"
Williams in 2023
The former Red Bull junior told Motorsport-Total.com Meanwhile, he already has a pretty good idea of what needs to be different in 2023. Williams regularly sank through the lower limit with the FW43 last year by being totally unable to perform at certain circuits. Albon argues that there is no easy solution that will immediately make Williams several tenths faster, although the direction in which to move is certainly clear.
What Williams is looking to reap the rewards of in 2023 is that it spent the entire second half of last season working on developing the new car. The Grove-based racing stable recognised that there was little credit to be gained from the 2022 car and so all resources were put towards 2023. During the winter tests and first Grand Prix in Bahrain, we will see if Williams has taken a bigger step than the competition around them.