Williams boss James Vowles has branded Alex Albon a “completely different animal” compared to his ill-fated stint with Formula 1 rivals Red Bull.
The Anglo-Thai driver was signed by the Grove-based squad for the 2022 season, having spent the previous year out of F1 after his unsuccessful stint with the Austrian giants.
Albon has been a constant presence within the team as it has slowly morphed from back-of-the-grid no-hopers to midfield hopefuls.
It may have been considered a gamble of sorts to hire Albon after his Red Bull sidelining, which saw his F1 career at a crossroads.
But Vowles has seen the progression in the 29-year-old, and said his performances have prompted the team to ensure he is given a car worthy of matching his capabilities.
“I would say first and foremost, Alex, I think I’ve described this fairly aptly, but in 23, he took a major step up and then he’s stepped up every year,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “That’s my impression of him.
“He has stepped up every year, but he’s always been immensely quick.
“Our first job is making sure we provide him a car that’s able to achieve the results, which is what we’ve done, I believe, this year for the first time.
“Second to that, the way I adjudicate Alex is he hasn’t really put a foot wrong.
“I struggle to look at a race where, or a qualifying where, he hasn’t done what’s required of him where has been our influence as a result of that.
“And even when things go wrong, he’s so incredibly mentally strong that he deals with it and comes back the next day and wants more.
“So answering the question, yes, I see an Alex that is absolutely flying at the right level. And we know that Carlos is a benchmark. That’s a fact. And Alex is performing relatively well.”
Williams praises Albon for mental resilience
Vowles acknowledged that his time at Red Bull saw him, like those before and since, fail to match the speed of its outright number one driver, Max Verstappen.
When asked if he miscalculated the amount of progression he has made, Vowles used the Dutchman as a benchmark, saying “if you put him up against Max today, he would be a completely different animal to what was there before.”
“And I think that’s the clear element behind him,” he added. “And the way I’m perhaps adjudicating him isn’t just about how fast he is in the car, because that’s how he always has been, but actually how resilient he is to other things going wrong around you and how strong he is in that circumstance.
“That’s what I meant by he’s delivering every time.
“So I think his peak level, which is probably how he’s due to get himself, has he gone up a lot? Probably not.
“Is the ability to get there every time there? Yes, that’s what I’m seeing.”
READ MORE – The measure Williams has taken to help drivers prepare for brand-new 2026 F1 cars
Discussion about this post