Alex Albon found himself in an unusual position during the Mexico City Grand Prix where he didn’t have to fight for his position, a welcomed departure from his recent experiences. The Thai secured a second straight P9 to help Williams maintain a solid gap to their competitors in the Constructors’ Championship.
“I don’t think I remember the last time I scored points and not had to defend for my position, so I’m really, really happy,” Albon expressed.
Reflecting on the race, Albon attributed Williams’ struggles to the hot track temperature, affecting their car’s overall pace.
“The pace today was not that strong, it was okay, better than qualifying, but still not that great. We struggle when the track gets hot,” he shared, highlighting the challenge of managing the tyres to make them last without compromising lap times.
A factor that he believed contributed to their points was their impressive starts. Albon gained three spots at both the first start [P14 to P11] and then the restart [P12 to P9] following Kevin Magnussen’s big crash.
“What was important was the starts; we had two very good starts and that was the secret to our points.
“I don’t think if we were able to get past at the start we would have been able to finish in the points. I am very happy,” Albon remarked, emphasising the significance of overtaking the Alfa Romeo drivers early in the race, which proved pivotal for securing points.
Albon acknowledged the team’s struggle with the sensitive nature of their car in warmer conditions after finishing P2 in the cooler conditions of FP1 and FP3. When asked about his biggest struggles he said:
“Purely the tyres and the temperature. We know we have quite a sensitive car. We slide around a little bit more than other cars, which means it gets hot it creates a bit more temperature. It was the same in the race.
“In the race it’s a bit easier as everyone is managing. Obviously in a short run if you’re managing, you’re just going to be slow.
“We had the same problems today as qualifying, but we made it work.”
He also expressed concerns about Daniel Ricciardo’s pace. Albon recognised the threat of AlphaTauri potentially closing the points gap if they consistently deliver strong finishes. The Italian team sit just 12 behind Williams with three races remaining, cutting the gap by 6 points over the course of the last two races.
“Daniel’s pace is something to be a bit worried about. If they had a double-points finish today which they should have had… they only need another finish like that to be next to us.
Despite the relief of a relatively unchallenged race, Albon is determined to stay focused, “keep our heads down and finish off the year strong” to fend off AlphaTauri.
