Albon’s performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix was marred by overheating issues, leading to a disappointing 15th-place finish. In the subsequent race in Saudi Arabia, he narrowly missed out on scoring points, coming in 11th.
Despite facing stiff competition in Jeddah, where he trailed only the top five teams and Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas, Albon remains convinced that Williams has yet to unveil its true potential.
“Simply put, our car has improved from last year,” he remarked. “But so has everyone else’s. Haas, in particular, has been surprisingly competitive.”
Aware of the team’s weaknesses and untapped potential, Albon emphasized the need to unlock performance gains in the coming races.
“We’re aware of the areas where we need to improve,” he explained. “We know there’s more speed in the car waiting to be unleashed. Hopefully, within the next few races, we can close the gap and outpace our rivals.”
Expressing disappointment at the team’s sluggish start to the season, Albon remains optimistic about their ability to bounce back.
“This isn’t the start we envisioned,” he admitted. “But it’s early days, and we’re determined to fight back.”
In the previous season, Williams capitalized on its superior straight-line speed to secure notable finishes. However, this year’s focus on overall consistency has seen a shift in performance dynamics, with the team sacrificing some of its speed advantage.
“We’ve lost the straight-line speed we had last year,” Albon revealed. “As a result, overtaking has become much more challenging for us.”
Reflecting on his experience in Jeddah, where he had to rely on cornering prowess for overtaking, Albon acknowledged the frustration of battling in the absence of DRS assistance.
“Having to make all my moves in the corners was a new challenge,” he noted. “When stuck in the DRS train, overtaking seemed impossible. But once the pack dispersed, I could make progress against non-DRS cars.”
Despite the setbacks, Albon remains encouraged by the team’s race pace, indicating potential for improvement as the season progresses.
