Alex Albon admits that he is still "shaking off the rust" after making his return to the F1 grid in 2022. The British-Thai driver was forced to spend a year on the sidelines in 2021, having been replaced on Red Bull's race team by Sergio Perez. However, Albon remained with the team as their test and reserve driver, before securing a 2022 comeback with Williams. Since the start of the season, Albon has largely outperformed teammate Nicholas Latifi, and so far has taken points for the team on two occasions.
Albon keen for more mileage after year out
Albon had been due to participate in a Pirelli tyre test in the days after the Austrian Grand Prix and, whilst not all drivers are fans of testing, it is something that the 26-year-old embraces, given his time away from the grid. "I don't mind [testing], especially for me because I had a year out," Albon told the F1 Nation podcast. "It's actually nice to get mileage under my belt. I've had a good start to the season, but I still feel like I'm still ironing out, shaking off the rust a little bit, to some extent. "So the more mileage the better for me. I'm not at that stage where I find testing boring."
Williams upgrades providing "good platform"
The Austrian Grand Prix offered Williams their first opportunity to fully run their upgrades in dry conditions. Albon – who ended the race 12th of 17th classified finishers, and was just six seconds behind 10th-placed Fernando Alonso by the chequered flag – was left feeling positive about the progression the updates can offer. "Generally speaking, we definitely have more downforce," he explained. "That's obviously the most important thing, and the best thing. In terms of characteristics, it's quite similar. "We do need to try and iron the imbalances out, because they aren't helping that time. We know that. "It feels like now we've got a good platform, a good base car. It's just about fine-tuning it."
Most read
