Alex Albon put on an absolute show during the Qualifying session of the Dutch GP this season, putting his Williams in P4. The Williams driver showed immense pace and even topped the timing charts at various points in time during the Qualifying session. Albon will start the race on Sunday alongside his ex-F2 rival and friend George Russell, who secured P3 during the qualifying. Russell seemed to be happy for his friend and during the Post Qualifying Press Conference, he praised ex-Mercedes engineer James Vowles for the amazing progress shown by Albon.
The Dutch GP weekend is not the first time that Albon has performed beyond expectations. The Thai-British driver has put in incredible performances throughout the 2023 season and has piqued the interest of various teams up and down the grid.
Williams have scored 11 points so far and all of them have come from Albon, with the 27-year-old driver finishing an impressive P7 in Canada and following it up with a P8 finish two races later at the British GP. However, all of this could not have been done without a strong backup from the team.
James Vowles touted as the perfect man for the Williams job
George Russell joined Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for the Post Qualifying Press Conference where they were asked by a journalist from Motorsport.com to comment on the massive progress shown by Albon and Williams as a whole. Russell was quick to shower praises on his friend and also went on to applaud his former team.
Russell said, “Williams are making a huge amount of progress at the moment. I think James Vowles is having a really positive impact there.” The Mercedes driver went on and said, “I think he’s definitely the best man for the job for what Williams need at the moment for their, sort of, resurgence.”
Vowles was part an integral part of the Mercedes team for more than 10 years and was the Motorsport Strategy Director before he left at the end of the 2022 season. He joined Williams as their team principal from the start of 2023, replacing the outgoing Jost Capito, and has done a tremendous job with the team so far.
Alex Albon receives interest from ex-employers
Vowles’ work with Williams has helped Alex Albon put in some scintillating performances throughout the season, which has made him the point of interest for various teams. The most interesting speculation out of them all is that Red Bull, the team that had rejected Albon in the first place, want him to return back.
However, as per reports, Albon rejected the move straightaway and chose to stay at Williams. It is understood that the former Red Bull man is extremely happy with the way that the Grove-based outfit has provided him with a stable platform where he can perform without the constant fear of getting replaced.
Added to that is the recent resurgence shown by the team and Albon now has a car that he can regularly put into Q3. Therefore, as of now, staying with Williams and helping them slowly edge towards the top seems like the correct plan for Albon.
