100th career Grand Prix for Alex Albon in Austin

After 12 races with Toro Rosso in 2019, 26 with Red Bull between 2019 and 2020, and 61 others with Williams since 2022, Alex Albon will reach the symbolic milestone of 100 Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend. While he acknowledges that the significant number of races on the calendar makes this achievement easier, he still considers it an important step. A part of the Red Bull family when he arrived in F1, Albon was the first Thai driver to join the discipline since Prince Bira in 1954.

Number 23 only represented Toro Rosso for about a dozen races, replacing Pierre Gasly at Red Bull a few months after his debut. He clinched the only two podiums of his career with the Milton Keynes team (3rd at Mugello and Sakhir in 2020). Failing to convince his management, he was demoted to the role of reserve driver for the 2021 season. A career path that has not been as smooth as that of other drivers on the grid, according to his own words, but which ultimately led him to a regular driver seat at Williams.

A stable generation of pilots

Albon revisited his career in an interview with F1.com. He notably talked about his relationships with other drivers on the grid. He's delighted to share the track with some of the same drivers since the beginning. His first Formula 1 race coincided with the debuts of Lando Norris and George Russell in the discipline. "It's just great that we're all still here [...] I think becoming a Formula 1 driver is one thing, and staying one is another," he said.

Apart from the two Britons, the Thai has also been rubbing shoulders with many other paddock residents since his early years: "I not only see the three of us, but also Charles [Leclerc], Max [Verstappen], Carlos [Sainz]... Esteban, Pierre [Gasly] - many of us have raced against each other, and so racing against each other again is quite surreal in a way."

A different approach at Williams than at Red Bull

Albon chose to leave the Red Bull team when he was approached by Williams for the 2022 season. This meant a change in his approach to Grand Prix races and his perception of competition: "My role at Red Bull was to perform, very simply."

The fierce competition within the Milton Keynes team sometimes leads drivers to adopt an individualistic behavior. "I think what happened especially at Williams is that we are obviously not in a position where we cannot be as selfish, and we have to work together to really move the team forward," analyzes Albon. This allowed him to be more open towards a common goal of developing the car. "I like this role, I think it's necessary. We are a growing team, and having this kind of open relationship allows the development of the car and our success, I believe, to come faster."

The fight for 6th place

Progress has been made in recent months within the Grove team. Having taken Alpine's eighth place in the constructor's championship, it can now look ahead and hope to close the gap on Haas and Red Bull, who respectively have 17 and 20 more points.

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Getting one or two points per Grand Prix will not be enough. The British team will have to stay well placed and rely on race incidents to score as many points as possible if the four leaders (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes) do not weaken. "If we can simply be the fifth fastest team, then we can hope for a crazy race, and this P9 turns into P6 or something like that, and then we will be directly in the fight [with Haas and RB]," said the 28-year-old driver.

What about the future?

Alex Albon will have a new teammate for the 2025 season in the person of Carlos Sainz. If this year looks set to be tricky, with Williams announcing to make compromises to better prepare for 2026, the following seasons could bring their share of surprises with the arrival of the new regulations in F1.

Questioned about the rest of his career, Albon replied: "I think there is a strong possibility that it will still be with Williams. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. I hope that during my 200th GP, we will talk about fighting for podiums and more places at the front."

Read also: Alex Albon on board a Williams in Gulf colors at the Speed Festival in São Paulo