9th in China, Alexander Albon creates sparks at the start of the season
For the second Grand Prix in succession, Alexander Albon finished in the points. The Williams driver has made an impeccable start to the season and is establishing himself as one of the names to watch in the middle of the pack.
While Carlos Sainz started 15th on the grid, Alexander Albon managed to position his Williams in 10th place in qualifying. Before the start of the season, many observers were questioning the dynamic that would emerge between the two drivers of James Vowles.
For the first time since his debut with Williams, Alexander Albon would finally be able to measure himself against an experienced teammate who has already proven himself. After authoritatively dominating Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant, Carlos Sainz would serve as a benchmark to truly assess the Thai driver’s level. So far, the result is more than positive for the former Red Bull driver.
« On the track, he is formidable »
5th in Australia, then 9th in China, Alexander Albon is slowly establishing himself as one of the drivers to closely watch in the midfield. Before today’s race, James Vowles, the director of the Williams team, was full of praise for the Thai driver, congratulating him for his Australian weekend: « In my opinion, Alex didn’t put a foot wrong today. What I like about him is that when he’s not wearing his helmet, he’s fun and very funny, but when he’s on the track, he’s formidable. He wants to show the world that he deserves his place in the sport. »
His race start in Shanghai was not ideal. The layout of the circuit often causes a bit of chaos in the first corners. Alexander Albon was not the winner in this game of position exchanges, being overtaken by Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso.
But as Lando Norris’s engineer mentioned on the radio, this Chinese Grand Prix would reward drivers who showed patience. Albon once again demonstrated remarkable tire management to extend his first stint as long as possible. This allowed him to temporarily lead the race. A nice birthday gift for him as he was celebrating his 29th birthday today.
« I am very happy with the management. I think we could have aimed for seventh place today. Our first stint was so good that I thought for a moment I would be the only one going for the one-stop strategy. »
Thanks to the additional stop by the two Racing Bulls, Albon gained two positions. By reclaiming 9th place after Lance Stroll’s late stop, he just needed to bring the car home to secure two more points for his tally.
With his two consecutive finishes in the points, Alexander Albon finds himself in eighth position in the drivers’ standings. In two races, the Thai driver has scored 12 points, as many as he earned throughout the entire last season. The Williams team is currently 5th in the constructors’ championship.
