Albon backs rival over key F1 speed factor

Williams driver Alex Albon believes "understanding" everything about a car is the key to becoming faster every season.

RB boss Laurent Mekies has suggested a driver can find speed season, although both have conceded this can be dependent on the overall car package a driver is provided with.

A large player in a driver finding pace is how a driver clicks with the machinery, with experience playing a vital role. This is something Albon lacked when making the step up to Red Bull midway through 2019, where he lasted just a season and a half before being dropped in favour of Sergio Perez.

'That's the case'

Since returning to F1 with Williams in 2022, the Thai-British driver has made significant progress every season, leading to calls for him to take a step up the grid next term.

Asked to comment on Mekies suggestion that driver could improve every year, Albon told the Beyond the Grid podcast: "I agree.

"I definitely think that's the case. What I've found is my speed becomes quicker because I know more and more what I want in the car and I know how to get it.

"So I know how to set up a car. I know how to get the car into a good window. I know how to get the tyres in qualifying or in the race, [if they] are going a certain direction - not good, let's say - generally I know how to fix it.

"I know what areas I need to improve on.

"So the experience really brings together an overall understanding of what you need, what suits your driving style, but also what are the limits of the car, some bits you can't fix, some bits you have to just ignore and focus on some other areas of the car.

"You know, there might be a characteristic issue in a car that you could spend all day working on it but you've made 10 other things worse.

"So this kind of appreciation for getting lap time out of the car, and understanding of it has really gone a long way for me and I think that's one of the biggest things I've learned."