Alex Albon was left pleasantly surprised after he secured an impressive fifth place in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, establishing Williams as one of the strongest midfield teams early on.
The Grove outfit showed strong signs of pace across the weekend, with Carlos Sainz setting the second fastest lap in FP1 and both drivers progressing to the final part of qualifying amid tight competition.
There was a question of what could have been after the Spaniard crashed out on his race debut for Williams, joining a host of drivers who fell victim to the changeable weather conditions and slippery track surface.
But for Albon, the day ended with his best race result since he left Red Bull as he crossed the line in P5 to bring home 10 points – just two fewer than he accumulated across the entirety of 2024. He was initially promoted to P4 through Kimi Antonelli’s five-second time penalty, but this was reversed after the end of the race.
Albon was one of 14 drivers to finish the Australian Grand Prix
“It feels a bit mellow in some ways because it was such a crazy race,” he explained. “I’m just trying to get my head around it. Fantastic for the team, first of all.
“Great strategy – I have to say Charles [Antoine Florentin], our strategist, did a great job. I didn’t agree with his call to put me in the pits. The track was bone dry in sector one and two when I came out, but it was the right call and I’m just really happy for everyone.
“It feels weird because P4 [P5 following Antonelli’s penalty reversal] is very special but for it to happen in the first race… you almost lose the appreciation for what it is! But no, this is for everyone at Grove as well. It’s been a really strong winter and we had a great day yesterday.
“Today was windy, mixed conditions – it’s what we hate, actually. Despite all of that we still had a relatively competitive car. I think we still were one of the quickest midfield runners out there today and I’m positive for things to come.”
Albon hailed his team’s strategy decisions in Melbourne
Heavy rain, three Safety Car periods and tough tyre management all threatened the 28-year-old’s performance, but he managed to improve on his P6 qualifying result to set Williams on a good course for the rest of the season.
Last year, they struggled with reliability and an overweight car that caused them to lose ground to their midfield rivals as they claimed just 17 points, finishing ninth in the Constructors’ Standings.
But with a proven race winner in Carlos Sainz joining the team and James Vowles laying out a clear mission for the next few years, Albon was confident that the only way is up for Williams.
He said: “The midfield is still hard but I think we’re at the top end of it now. There’s still going to be a fight with RB [Racing Bulls] and Alpine all year. You can see that on our day when we get everything right, we can actually start getting quite close to the top field teams.
“It’s all to play for. Realistically, we’re fighting for the P9/P10s every race, so points like today mean a lot. I’m interested to see how the season plays out. I think that it’s not very clear still who’s going to pip who in the midfield.”
Team Principal Vowles led Williams through one of their best performances at a season opener in recent years
Although the midfield battle could be a problem for Williams later down the line, Vowles was keen to focus on the team effort that led to Albon having such a successful weekend at Albert Park.
«No result is the result of one person anyway, it is a team coming together,» the Williams Team Principal told Sky Sports F1. «The pit stops were on point, the strategy, well done to them today.»
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