Alex Albon shares the ‘biggest thing’ he learned after being sacked by Red Bull that led to Williams move

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Since his return to the F1 grid with Williams in 2022, Alex Albon has been one of the most exciting and unpredictable drivers to watch during Grand Prix weekends.

Williams have made strides up the F1 constructors pecking order since the arrival of Albon, going from last place in the Thai driver’s maiden year with the team to currently sitting in fifth place after the halfway point of the season.

A change in results for the team is expected for the Grove-based squad, with them being one of the first teams on the grid to turn their full attention to the 2026 car.

Albon believes Williams got ‘lucky’ with the weather at the British GP, which aided their drive, and has requested that the team continue development for the FW47 to save them from falling down the order.

Albon recently touched upon how his versatility when it comes to driving F1 cars benefits him as opposed to his teammate Carlos Sainz, who demands changes which can benefit his driving style.

Alex Albon developed a better understanding of ‘what makes sense’ in an F1 car setup

Talking to Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Albon opened up on what sorts of things he worked on during his year away from having a full-time F1 drive in 2021.

“The biggest thing for me was that I developed a much better mechanical engineering idea of what makes sense,” Albon started. “For example, when you’re at a race weekend and you’re a rookie, you’re trying to learn how to go quickly, you’re not really thinking about setup.

“You’re just looking at the data and going, ‘I need to brake later here.’ I need to carry this kind of speed or these kinds of things. Very, I don’t want to say basic things, but they’re important things, as you’re a rookie and you’re learning.

“How do I use the tyres correctly? How do I save the tyres correctly in qualifying or in the race? How do I use the tyres correctly in qualifying? These kinds of things.

“Then once you gain that brain space and all that kind of stuff is natural and you’re comfortable with the car and whatnot, you can then start to understand.”

Albon previously touched upon the amount of ‘brain space’ that is necessary to be one of the best drivers in F1, attributing the trait to the reason Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso are world champions.

Alex Albon and Williams are enjoying their best year together since he joined the F1 team in 2022

2025 has been Albon’s best yet in Williams F1 machinery. The 29-year-old currently holds eighth place in the drivers’ standings with 46 points, which is already his greatest points haul in a season for the team despite there still being 12 rounds to go.

Starting the season off with back-to-back points finishes in Australia and China, the team brought an upgrade to the FW47’s front wing in Suzuka that didn’t offer a performance boost right away, but does offer more options in terms of set-up for both drivers.

Team principal James Vowles also noticed an increase in team morale following the Emilia-Romagna GP weekend, where the team were in the midst of four consecutive points finishes for both cars. The engineer noted the direction of his team’s trajectory, stating that it is a ‘fantastic feeling’.