Albon explains why he did not let Leclerc pass
Alex Albon reflected on the lap where he didn't let Charles Leclerc pass despite the blue flags. The Thai driver also believes that Williams has taken a step forward in Monaco, despite retiring towards the end of the race.
Realizing a more than acceptable start to the season despite a very underperforming car, considered the worst on the grid, Alex Albon completed a mixed weekend in Monaco. While his qualifying is quite good, in 16th position only 2 tenths away from Q2, 8 tenths ahead of his teammate Latifi, the race was more eventful for him and his Williams with number 23.
Since not only did the Thai driver retire on the 48th lap (out of 64), but his Sunday was marked by mistakes and especially a misunderstanding with the blue flags. On lap 11, Albon goes straight at the first corner of Sainte Dévote, like many others, admittedly, but still. He then drops from 13th to 16th place.
But the action that generated the most talk around Alex Albon this weekend is undoubtedly the moment when, despite blue flags being shown to him, the Thai driver did not move aside to let Charles Leclerc pass for an entire lap. He explained this action after the race.
« It’s delicate because we went out on slicks and we had a huge advantage in terms of pace, he explains.
« It would have taken three corners to let him pass, then I would have been fast enough to catch up with him again. You find yourself in a position where, in my opinion, for both of us, it was faster if I stayed just ahead because I would have pulled away quickly enough.
» The Williams will have to go straight again at Sainte Dévote for the Ferrari to overtake. No penalty has been imposed on him.
Albon also commented on the performance of his Williams this weekend, which he considers encouraging. Honestly, our pace was quite good and I wasn’t just driving like in qualifying. I was managing everything and felt strong with the car. So we have some positives and we know that our race pace is positive for us. As gloomy as it may be today or whatever the result may be, I think it’s a step forward for us.
Thus, in Monaco, Albon surely experienced one of his most challenging races of this early season. So, we will have to keep an eye on the Williams in Baku in two weeks to see if the team has taken a step forward, as the Thai driver believes.
The lap where Charles was held up by Alex Albon…
This was just before his second pit stop, at a crucial point in the race.
I honestly have no idea what Albon was doing here… pic.twitter.com/DV8LYfCq7z
— Ferrari News (@FanaticsFerrari) May 29, 2022
