“Let’s see how he gets on with the car and how good he really is”: Williams boss expects new driver Alex Albon to reach new heights in his upcoming Formula 1 stint

"Alex is the right driver” - Senior advisor Jenson Button confident of a healthy relationship between Williams and Alex Albon

Williams team principal Jost Capito believes Alex Albon is yet to show his best in F1 and expects him to reach new heights this year. 

Albon’s F1 career so far has been extremely turbulent. He had a very strong start with Toro Rosso, before being put in the Red Bull seat midway into 2019. At the Milton-Keynes based team, he went off to a similarly positive start.

However, the following year, Albon put in a string of underwhelming performances that saw Red Bull replace him with Sergio Perez at the team. He spent 2021 as the reserve and development driver for Red Bull as a result.

In spite of not being in the limelight as much, everyone involved within the team acknowledged the amount of hard work Albon put. In particular, 2021 World Champion Max Verstappen believes that without Albon’s work behind the scenes, he wouldn’t have won the crown.

For 2022, Albon found himself an F1 seat in Williams. He replaces the outgoing George Russell who moves on to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Albon will team up with Nicholas Latifi for the upcoming season.

Also read: Fernando Alonso shares his thoughts on Haas driver Mick Schumacher

Alex Albon grew as a person and as a driver during his developmental work at Red Bull, says Capito

Williams CEO and team principal Jost Capito believes that Albon hasn’t peaked in F1 yet. He fully expects the 25-year old to put in strong performances this year.

He credits Red Bull for helping the Thai-British driver grow during his year away from F1 racing action. Alex Albon was involved in a lot of simulator work, and helped his team form strategies pre-race. This allowed the outfit to prepare for best case scenarios for eventual World Champion Verstappen throughout 2021.

“Alex has developed very well in the 2021 season,” said Capito. “He wasn’t just a reserve driver, he also spent a lot of time in the simulator. He followed Formula 1 racing from a different perspective.”

“I think Alex hasn’t reached his peak yet, he can show a lot more. But now let’s see how he gets on with the car and how good the car is.”

“When I see how he works in the simulator and with the engineers, he makes a happy impression on me. I also have a good connection built up to him. We speak very openly with each other and he feels at home here.”

 

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Alex Albon Jost Capito Mercedes Red Bull Williams

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Somin Bhattacharjee

Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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