After a collaboration that lasted three years, George Russell left Williams to go to Mercedes and the English team decided to bet everything on former Red Bull Alexander Albon as Nicholas Latifi’s teammate.
The Thai immediately impressed the men of the team and in Australia he managed to get a point, the first of the season, making the only pit stop one lap from the end after having raced 57 laps on hard tires.
Both Albon and Russell are two highly regarded riders in the paddock, but in Williams they wanted to highlight the differences in the way they work within the team.
Vehicle performance manager Dave Robson said: “Their driving style and personality are different. I think it took us some time to better understand his driving style, maybe some races besides the tests, but Alex is fast and has a positive attitude. I’m really happy”.
One of the main differences between Albon and Russell is the behavior of the car when entering corners. The Thai wants a very precise car.
“Alex is very focused on balance at the start of the corner. It is an essential aspect for him and once he has passed the entry phase he is prepared to face the next behavior of the car ”.
Alexander Albon, Williams FW44
Photo by: Erik Junius
“George, on the other hand, is perhaps a little more tolerant at this early stage. Maybe he is a bit more sensitive, but to be honest these differences could depend on the cars as this year we have ground effect cars, without rake setup. The characteristics compared to the 2021 cars are different, but Alex is happy when he finds a responsive front end when entering the corners ”.
In addition to the differences in driving styles, another aspect that does not unite them between Albon and Russell is the way they both work with the team.
The current Mercedes driver is known in the world for being determined and always pushing to make sure he gets what he wants so that he can achieve better and better results, while Albon seems a little more relaxed than the Brit.
Robson, however, wanted to emphasize how Alex, despite this appearance, is equally determined.
“It’s just different. He too expects the best, but he has a different way of being compared to George ”.
On the basis of what he achieved in Australia, when the Thai remained focused on the goal of going to the points by communicating very little via radio, the team further understood how Albon’s determination can be a further element of favor.
“He spoke very little, but he was happy. Especially in the last 20 laps he was focused on keeping the same pace at every lap. He was at ease, not worried at all. He was very nice ”.
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