After spending two seasons in Formula 1, Alexander Albon was forced to sit out the 2021 campaign, having lost his seat at Red Bull at the conclusion of 2020.
However, the Thai-British driver remained part of the team that both handed him an opportunity and axed him, and throughout his year sitting out of the cockpit, he played a vital role in Red Bull’s championship pursuit, which ended in triumph for Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last December.
Albon heavily assisted in car development as Red Bull’s reserve driver, performed weekend set-up duties in the energy drink-backed squad’s simulator and was present in the team’s garage at many races throughout the season.
For 2022, he managed to find his way back to the grid, signing with Williams alongside Nicholas Latifi for what will be his third full season in F1.
Although F1 is not unfamiliar territory for Albon, his gap year becoming accustomed to a different role will likely mean he will need time to readjust once again – and as he switches to a new environment, Albon says there are valuable aspects of a grand prix weekend that he observed while sitting out, which he plans to use to his advantage this season.
“Having that year out, I have had a bit more of a global view of what it takes to be a top tier driver, in a sense that I had the full picture of it,” Albon said.
“Sometimes when you are in the race weekend, or you are flat out in that zone, you only see the race track and that’s kind of you on your year.
“Last year was a very different role for me, it was about developing the car, about seeing how the team operates and fulfilling my development role as best as I could.
“I felt like there was a lot of experience there, knowing the ways of which a Formula 1 team operates.
“I’m definitely going to use that and bring that to Williams and at the same time, there’s things which I’ve spent last year reflecting and thinking ‘how can I do a better job?’
“That’s not just one thing, it’s lots of little things which obviously I’m working on for this year. I still need to drive the car to work on those things as well.”
In 2021, Williams enjoyed its best season in a number of years, scoring 23 points across the campaign, with its highlight being a podium at the shortened Belgian Grand Prix.
Having spent the last handful of seasons competing towards the rear of the grid, Albon says the Grove-based outfit is determined to start the sport’s new era in strong fashion.
“They are a great bunch of people,” Albon said. “I feel like they are very motivated and very driven to show what they can do.
“That falls in line very much with me as well. We’ve got to know each other quite well from spending quite a lot of time at Grove, so I’ve got to know the racing team but also started speaking to vehicle dynamics, the aerodynamicists.
“They obviously had a great end to last year, found great gains and moved up the order. You can feel that buzz, you can feel that energy inside of the team and it’s very exciting to be a part of.”
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