Alex Albon showcased an impressive performance during the 2023 Silverstone Grand Prix qualifying, battling adverse weather conditions. The Williams driver was still disappointed about his qualifying result at the 8th place as we are approaching Sunday’s race.
Photo credit: Williams Racing
Albon commented on the team’s strong start at Silverstone, expressing his enthusiasm for the weekend’s progress. He stated, “It’s been an amazing weekend. It’s almost like you’ve finished qualifying somehow disappointed, but with a Q3 and P8! But we have to be realistic. I think we’ve been on top of it early in the weekend.”
Reflecting on the qualifying sessions, the Thai-British diver admitted, “It had been a tricky qualifying session, especially in Q1.”
He described the challenging conditions on the damp track, saying: “I was pretty sideways! It was very wet, I think you saw in Sector 2 in Q1. And it was really tricky because there were like these kind of imaginary rivers across the track.”
Albon further explained the difficulty of navigating the track, adding: “As soon as you got to a certain point in the corner, the car would lose all grip, but you couldn’t actually physically see it. So you had to push up until this imaginary boundary, and then catch the snap.”
Photo credit: Williams Racing
Regarding his last-minute effort in Q1, Albon shared, “I was kind of glad Checo [Perez] was the first car because you could have a bit of a sighter to that car. And you can tell what the gap is going to be. I was glad to get through from Q1.”
Discussing the tire issues faced in Q3, the 27-year-old mentioned: “The session was going quite smoothly, and in Q3 as the track dried out… I started to get quite a bit of deg through the lap, front deg as well, which is quite rare.”
He expressed the team’s need to understand this situation better, stating: “So we need to kind of understand that, why Q3 we started to struggle quite a lot in sector two and three in the high-speed corners, with the front tyre falling away.”
Albon conceded that while the Williams FW45 seemed well-suited to Silverstone, the team still had some uncertainties, saying: “There’s almost a bit that we understand, and a bit that we don’t.
“I think partly some top teams are struggling a bit more than we expect. I think also this kind of circuit, with not much braking, we know we’re weak on the brakes. So these kinds of circuits go quite favorable towards us.”
Photo credit: Williams Racing
In summary, Alex Albon’s quotes shed light on his outstanding performance at the 2023 Silverstone GP, showcasing his adaptability and determination to overcome challenges.
Despite the difficulties faced during qualifying and tire issues in Q3, Albon and the Williams team achieved impressive results, surpassing their initial expectations.
As they continue to analyze their performance and understand their car’s capabilities, they remain optimistic about future races, leveraging their strengths on circuits that align with their driving style.
