Alex Albon says his ideal Williams teammate should be able to answer two key questions

Follow us on Google Discover

The question of who will get the second seat at Williams is a hot topic in the Formula 1 driver market, as drivers begin to finalise their moves.

Logan Sargeant could lose his drive at Williams after producing a series of below-par results compared to Alex Albon, with team principal James Vowles recently hinting that he might be looking at someone else to occupy the seat.

It was clear that the first choice for any replacement of Sargeant would be Carlos Sainz, but a late offer from Alpine and a chance at joining Mercedes has delayed any decision being made for the Spaniard.

Any replacement would need to be at a similar level to Albon, as the team looks to improve its finishing results further up the grid. The Williams driver recently outlined his criteria for a replacement driver when speaking to Mirror Sport.

Alex Albon has three key requests for second Williams seat

Sargeant’s rookie year was largely characterised by mistakes in the latter part of the season, as pressure mounted on him to perform well enough to retain his seat.

Vowles elected not to replace him after continually showing improvements, but the Williams driver has so far not contributed to their points tally as they battle for seventh in the F1 Constructors’ Championship.

With millions of dollars in prize money on the line, Albon believes a more experienced hand woud be better suited to the role and would give him a chance of developing having himself spent two years out of a seat.

“I just want someone who is quick, who I can learn from and who will build the team up and make them better,” said Albon.

“The way I see my racing career is that each year I improve my weaknesses by just chipping away at it. A lot of the time it’s looking at data, looking at how your team-mate deals with certain things, how they set up the car, their feedback. Even who they are as a person – how do they communicate with their engineers? How do they build their team around them? It’s all things you can learn from.”

Does Alex Albon need a more experienced teammate?

This season is Albon’s fifth as a full-time driver, with the 28-year-old having amassed 93 starts since he joined the grid with Toro Rosso in 2019.

He is arguably one of the most experienced drivers on the grid having raced with Red Bull for a handful of years, before moving to Williams to help bring them back to the front.

READ MORE: Williams driver Logan Sargeant’s life outside F1 from height to Donald Trump ties

The fact that he wants a more experienced hand helping him as his teammate shows that there is still room for him to improve as a driver, even if Vowles thinks he has exhibited world champion-like qualities.

Valtteri Bottas could be a potential option for the team, while other free agents include Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, and Zhou Guanyu.