Williams Formula 1 boss James Vowles has praised Alex Albon for his “no-politics” attitude to racing and has backed his driver to get even better in the coming years.
Albon strung together a sublime campaign last term, accumulating all but one of the 28 points Williams scored as it clinched seventh position in the Constructors’ Championship.
With the inexperienced Logan Sargeant occupying the opposite seat, the Anglo-Thai driver has developed into a dependable leader for the Grove squad since his arrival.
Those exploits, which included seven points finishes across last season, have ramped up the pressure on Williams to continue improving to wade off advances from rivals.
It marks a drastic distinction to the perception surrounding Albon prior to his Williams stint, when he endured a year on the sidelines having been dropped from Red Bull.
Vowles, who took on the Team Principal role one year ago, has detailed how he even witnessed Albon evolve throughout his debut season at the helm of the British outfit.
Speaking to Autosport, Vowles said: “I’ve known Alex for around eight years and I couldn’t wait to come here [to Williams] and rekindle that relationship that we had before.
“He’s really quick, he has the right mindset – and that’s really important, not just for him but for any driver to get the most out of themselves.
“I think if you look at him across the year, and even speak to him openly and candidly, he’s not the same driver that I started with in Bahrain. He has really matured across the season and he got the most out of the car, there is no doubt about that.
“We were seventh as a result of his incredible drives this year. The team did a great job with getting the car together and stretching it, but he’s still had [at times] four or six cars behind him [Canada and Monza] that were down his neck the whole race. That’s quite impressive.”
Although Vowles was appointed too late to influence the FW44 car, the ex-Mercedes strategist authorised the decision to shift resources early towards its 2024 challenger.
With Williams bidding to advance further up the order this season, Vowles is also certain that Albon’s appetite to get behind the wheel leaves him with scope for improvement.
“What I like about him is he hasn’t stopped growing yet,” Vowles added. “He hasn’t stopped maturing yet, but also what I like about him is there’s no politics.
“He just wants to get in the car and drive quickly, and I think that’s why it works really well.”
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