27-year-old F1 driver says he’s ‘genuinely excited’ by 2024 car after taking ‘huge risk’

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Williams driver Alex Albon has admitted that the team have taken a ‘huge risk’ when it comes to their new Formula 1 car this season.

We’re only a few days away from the first Grand Prix of the season and eyes are on all 10 teams to see how much performance they were hiding in pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Commentating during the test for Sky Sports F1, Alex Albon shared his thoughts on Williams’s latest car.

Albon admits Williams took ‘huge risk’ with 2024 car

When the lights at the end of the pit lane went green for the first time in testing last Wednesday, the wait was finally over for fans and the teams to see what their competitors had done over the winter.

2024 is now the third year of the current regulations in Formula 1 and it was clear to see the steps forward taken in the paddock.

Typically, testing sees cars struggle with reliability and a big gap between the quickest and slowest cars.

However, the majority of teams only had to make a few minor tweaks over the three days and thousands of laps were completed.

The team that struggled with the most issues was Williams, with both Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant stopping on day one.

Albon admitted that Williams have taken a big risk with their car this year, but he’s really hopeful for the direction they’re going in.

He shared that the car felt very different to 2023’s version, while one Formula 1 expert suggested that parts of the car looked 10 years out of date.

Williams’s new car ‘genuinely’ exciting this year

Asked about the new car, Albon said: “In all seriousness, I am genuinely excited about Williams.

“I feel like we’ve taken a huge risk this year, we really have turned the whole team on its head in terms of what we’re asking from everyone at Grove in the factory.

“The feel of the car and everything has changed so much, it’s left us with a bit of work to do and that’s why we’ve also been late delivering this car to the test.

“But, it’s all for the right reasons and that’s exciting.”

Williams are in a position where they can take a risk, especially with Albon in the car.

They’re not expected to challenge for podiums and wins just yet and James Vowles admits the long-term success of the manufacturer is more important than any immediate success.

Whether that’s enough to convince Albon to sign a contract beyond 2025 is the main question.

He clearly loves the team but will want to be competing for wins and podiums sooner rather than later.