Skip to content
After playing a starring role in Canada, sealing six points for seventh place, Albon narrowly missed out on the top 10 in Austria. But the British-Thai driver took another points haul with an eighth-place finish at Silverstone to elevate Williams above Alfa Romeo in the constructors’ standings, delivering the Grove team’s 11 points so far.
On a circuit that was not to be Williams’ strongest circuit, Albon laid the foundation for his top ten with an eighth-place finish in qualifying.
But it was not Albon’s performance in Q3, nor his fourth-place finish in Q2 that most impressed Williams, but rather his composure under pressure during a late red flag in Q1.
With just three minutes on the clock, Albon was stuck in 20th place after having his first lap canceled but then recovered a seventh fastest lap of the session in slightly wet conditions.
“What particularly impressed me about Alex was how completely calm (he) was, even when the red flag came out in Q1 we weren’t in a good position,” said manager Dave Robson. vehicle performance at Williams.
“We sent him over there to line up, you lose tire pressure, I’m pretty sure that’s not the ideal way to start the lap but we had to do a clear lap. And that was an exceptional lap, and it all started saying of her being totally calm, not panicked at all when the red flag came out.
“He was completely calm, completely relaxed, happy that everything was under his control.”
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance, Williams F1, at the Team Principals press conference
Photo by: FIA Pool
It was just one example of Albon’s ability to drive home points almost every weekend that the slippery and efficient Williams FW45 is capable of, which Robson says inspired the entire garage.
“The vast majority of the time he’s there, and for sure he pulls everything out of the car. That’s a huge asset, because if you don’t pull everything out of it, then the confidence drops,” explained Robson.
“I think his calmness is entirely rooted in his confidence and getting him out of the car. In a way, that spills over into the garage. If he had come in panicked, it would have turned into a good old mess.
“And I think once he’s in that upward spiral and he’s confident, he gets the most out of the car. That breeds confidence everywhere else.”
“I’m sure you’ll hear him sometimes on the radio when he’s on the track where suddenly another Alex appears who can sound very grumpy and irritable.
“I don’t think he actually is, that’s just how he is when he’s driving. As soon as he’s back in the garage and the helmet is off, he’s calm and calm again. serene.”