Alex Albon is set for his return to racing on the Formula 1 grid, having secured a seat with the Williams team for 2022. After a year on the sidelines as Red Bull's reserve and development driver, Albon is in the unusual position of racing for a team while still retaining links to another. Red Bull have essentially worked out a deal with Williams to loan out Albon while keeping him on their books for a possible return to the fold at some point in the future. Asked by RacingNews365.com whether he views himself as a driver on loan, or fully committed to the Williams team, Albon explained that he's bringing a long-term mentality to his situation. "You have to fully view yourself as a Williams driver," he said. "On my side, it's very simple; my targets and goals are I want to do the best job I can this year, and that's doing the best job I can for Williams. "So, for me, I'm working hard with the guys, not looking at the... let's call it the future side of things. "I really see myself as a Williams driver for this year and [I'm] focusing on the job at hand. All I'm going to do is do the best job possible."
Working on Red Bull's RB18
Albon is also in a unique position heading into the new season, having put in plenty of development work on Red Bull's 2022 car ahead of his Williams switch. Albon toiled away on the simulator to help with the initial development of the RB18, before moving across to start work on Williams FW44. "I was working on the RB18 for a while," he commented. "If it hits the ground running, I'd love to take responsibility for it. But, on the other side, if it's not there, then I don't claim responsibility! "I know more or less how the car feels. But it's hard to compare, because simulators themselves are different, in the way that they operate, the way that they feel in terms of motion – it's so different. You can obviously get a feeling for things but, to really act on them, it takes a bit of time, it takes a bit of experience. "Of course, I'm going to use everything that I know but, at the same time, I'm not an aerodynamicist. I don't know what the rear wing looks like on the RB18 or anything like that. I just know the feeling of it."
What Albon can bring to Williams from Red Bull
Jumping out of one 2022 car and into another might suggest that Albon will have plenty of technical secrets and know-how to bring to Williams, but the British-Thai racer denied that's the reality. "The simulator is quite simple – you've got two wheels on the front of it, and you're inside a monocoque," he added. "It is hard in that sense, but I think what I will bring to Williams is just the way that Red Bull work and the way that they go about their business more than anything else. "On top of that, cars have characteristics. Even if they change as much as they do from last year to this year, they always tend to keep their slight subtleties within the cars – it's quite a normal thing to happen. "I think I have a good feeling of why the Red Bull car was fast, and I know how they exploited their lap time out of the car. At the same time, I know why the Williams was quick in some places, and I can see how these things sort themselves out. "It's that balance of trying to use that knowledge that I do have to try and make us more competitive."
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