Superstitions. In a sport like Formula 1—where everything is dependent on performance and skill—it may come as a surprise how prevalent superstitions are. For Charles Leclerc, it’s wearing red pants to the paddock on Saturday. Lando Norris? He fist-bumps all his mechanics before getting into his car. For Pierre Gasly, it’s squatting in front of his car before a race to pray. And since the US GP, it’s been Pumpkin Spiced Lattes for Alex Albon and Williams. Looks like the effects of the lattes from Austin have carried on to the Mexican GP this weekend.

Throughout this season, there have been glimpses of a resurgent Williams. At tracks that have suited its car—long straights and low-speed corners—Alex Albon has delivered more often than not. At the US GP, he had company from his teammate, Logan Sargeant, as they achieved Williams’ first double-point finish of the season. What did Team Principal James Vowles equate that to? Albon’s special pumpkin-spiced lattes.

After a P9 and P10 in Austin, Vowels explained what happened on Saturday. He said, “I found Alex walking towards me with a coffee and asked him to explain what it was. I was not expecting the answer of a pumpkin-spiced latte. He then proceeded—for a few minutes—to how he personally changed the recipe a little bit to his own taste. Skip to Saturday qualifying and Sprint race. You can see the performance stepped up which is why I joked to them over the radio that a lot of that would’ve been that latte he had in the morning.”

Read More: Alex Albon Played a Vital Role in George Russell’s F1 Career & How the Mercedes Driver Paid Him Back

With the way Albon is performing at the Mexican GP, it seems as though Williams has been keeping up the newfound tradition in Mexico as well. The British-Thai driver has impressed so much that fans have even tipped him as one of Max Verstappen’s closest competitors for pole position. A Williams on pole? How great would that be?

Can pumpkin-spiced lattes help Alex Albon convert his form to pole?

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is made for Willaims’ FW44. With the long straights and slow-speed corners, Albon has been making the most of his opportunities. In FP1, he finished second, less than a tenth off Max Verstappen. Although he dropped down in FP2, he knew he just needed to put things together, and that’s precisely what he did in FP3.

With another P2 classification, Albon was just 0.070s off Verstappen. Throughout the lap, Verstappen only had the upper hand on him through the slowest corners. Everywhere else, Albon dominated.

Seeing this, how could fans have missed the opportunity to ‘spice’ things up for qualifying (pun intended), courtesy of his pumpkin-spiced lattes? 

Honestly, what is in those lattes? What special ingredients is Albon adding to an otherwise ordinary latte? Whatever it is, keep doing it, Albon! It’s working for you.

The biggest question is: can he convert his spectacular practice form into something equally spectacular in qualifying? 

Remember George Russell’s amazing qualifying at the 2021 Russian GP? Or even in the 2021 Belgian GP? Could Albon emulate his bestie and be fighting with the top dogs?

With how good he’s doing, a top-three in qualifying isn’t out of the question. If Verstappen falters, Albon will be right there for the taking. 

While most fans are optimistic about Albon’s chances, a few are already preparing themselves for disappointment in Q3. 

Well, at least they believe he’ll make it to the top-10 shootout. Do you think Alex Albon can get pole position at the Mexican GP?

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