Albon and Williams narrowly missed a new top 10 in Italy
Williams driver Alexander Albon placed eleventh in the standings at Imola and claims that the FW44s were just as competitive in Italy as they were two weeks earlier in Melbourne.
Back in the paddock after a year’s absence, Alexander Albon scored Williams’ only point of the 2022 season so far. Two weeks after his top 10 finish in Melbourne, the Thai driver came close to another top 10 result at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
However, the qualifications were particularly complicated for the former Red Bull driver. Hindered by his brakes last Friday, he had to start at the back of the grid for the sprint race and only finished 18th on Saturday. But during the race, an early change of tires allowed him to quickly climb up the standings. Albon was one of the first drivers to switch from intermediate tires to slicks on the Italian track.
This choice proved beneficial for the driver, who spent the majority of his race ahead of Pierre Gasly. For Albon, the FW44s were just as competitive as in Australia. “Honestly, I was really happy with it, I felt like it was just as good for me as in Melbourne,” explained Albon. “We maximized our chances. We overtook a few cars with a good pace, then they were faster than us but we held on.”
Furthermore, the driver mentioned the configuration chosen by the team this weekend. While the low downforce wasn’t amusing for the others, Williams took advantage of it to be in the middle of the pack.
