via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Red Bull’s Alexander Albon Pool via REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Red Bull’s Alexander Albon Pool via REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Thai-British racer Alex Albon will make a return as a full-time F1 driver with the Williams team in 2022. Albon is replacing friend and fellow Briton George Russell in his seat at the team, while Russell has joined Mercedes for the upcoming season.
Red Bull dropped Albon at the end of the 2020 season. He served as the reserve driver for the team and helped the team with simulators in 2021. His imminent return to F1 has come as delightful news to his fans.
More recently, Albon reflected on his year away from F1 as a regular driver and the experiences distilled from that process.
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via Imago
The first race of 2020 has already been run…and won, with Max Verstappen taking the opening victory of the season in Melbourne. Four days before the official start of the Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix, the Dutchman took on Aston Martin Red Bull Racing teammate Alex Albon in a series of challenges, including a motorised cooler boxes race at speeds of up to 25kph, hosted by Winter Olympic snowboard medallist Scotty James. // F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon at the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing ‘Cooler Runnings’ race at Station Pier in Melbourne, Australia on March 11, 2020. // Andy Green / Red Bull Content Pool
A learning curve for Albon
Red Bull parked Albon on a bench for a year after an average 2020 season. However, he was actively involved with the team’s functioning throughout the season. In a recent interview reported by Motorsport-Total, Alex said his time at Red Bull was a learning experience for sure.
“I had the chance to look around and see how Formula 1 works away from [the driver]. As a racing driver, you concentrate completely on driving and that’s it,” said Albon.
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“I’ve gained a lot of experience, and I’ve also looked at how Checo and Max work, how they structure their team and communicate with their engineers,” he added
He can prove to be a valuable asset at Williams; not just on the track, but his experience with a big team can help the team in parc ferme as well.
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Red Bull experience has made Albon a more complete driver
The Williams team carries a great legacy in the sport, having produced multiple world champions. However, the team’s performance has seen a considerable dip in the last decade. The team is currently in the rebuilding phase and Alex Albon can be a valuable addition at this point.
Recently, the Thai-British driver remarked he will become a more complete driver after his experiences in 2021 with the Milton-Keynes team.
“Even though I didn’t drive the car much. The guys at Red Bull know a lot about the car. They know how to make a car fast. And I can bring that to Williams. Next season I will be a more complete driver,” he said as reported by Motorsport-Total.
“It was part of my role [in 2021] to help the team and do the best possible job for them. But that also helped me,” he concluded.
Now, Albon will be back behind the wheel for the winter testing. With new regulations in place, fans are expecting more close-call racing in 2021. Where do you think Albon will end up in the drivers’ standings at the end of the 2022 season?
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