Alex Albon’s Perspective on the Exciting 2024 Formula 1 Season
Alex Albon believes that the 2024 Formula 1 season is compelling, and he is frustrated that some people reduce it to just Max Verstappen’s dominance. The Williams F1 driver advises looking at what is happening in the second half of the grid.
“In a way, it’s a bit of a shame to see comments about Max and a boring season because that’s absolutely not the case, at least from my point of view,” said Albon.
“Because if you take him out of the equation, you have one of the best grids, and one of the tightest ever seen in Formula 1. Even with Max included, it’s still the tightest field in Formula 1.”
The Intense Competition at The Rear of the Field
“It’s tough because he’s the leader, so everyone focuses on him. But the battle at the back is very intense. In Bahrain, we made our pit stop two laps too late during the race and lost six positions, going from 11th to 15th. It’s incredibly close.”
Significant Improvements in Wind Management
Albon explains why wind is a real challenge for Williams, but he is also reassured by the progress Williams has made in this area with their brand new FW46.
“I always find wind to be a balance amplifier. If you have a corner where you have understeer or oversteer, the wind will only make things worse. For the same reason, if you have a bit of oversteer here and there, the wind will only exacerbate things.”
“It just makes the car more difficult to drive. It highlights the issues with the car. The FW45 had a lot of problems. When the wind was behind us, it was a nightmare, and we have made significant progress this year.”
Competing in a Tight Midfield
“The only thing I can say is that everyone has moved forward. The midfield is quite frustrating because the top teams have moved up, the lower midfield teams have taken an even bigger step forward, but they have all taken the same step.”
Despite Williams’ progress this winter, Albon and Logan Sargeant are on a level playing field relative to other teams: “We’ve improved by six, seven, eight tenths compared to last year. Significant progress. For race pace, it’s even better.”
“But you look around, and it’s the same people fighting for the same positions. In Q1, there were eight tenths, just over a second, covering the entire grid. Now, if you make a small mistake, you lose two positions.”
