Alexander Albon, a driver for Williams Racing, achieved a significant milestone during the Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session. Despite Williams’ disappointing performance so far this season, Albon managed to secure a spot in the top 10 for the first time this year. The unique characteristics of the Monaco circuit, which imposes less penalties on heavier cars, played a crucial role in Albon’s success. He strategically completed a single lap during the pole position shootout, surpassing Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and securing ninth place. Albon expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance throughout the weekend, despite some challenges with understeer in Sector 2. The team made necessary adjustments and successfully resolved most of the issues. Although they didn’t completely eliminate the problem, they managed to overcome it and focus on getting the tires in optimal condition. This approach allowed them to prioritize clean air and tire performance rather than worrying about track evolution. Williams’ team principal, James Vowles, recently revealed their efforts to reduce the excess weight on their FW46 car, which has been causing a loss of up to 0.45 seconds per lap. Albon believes that the team’s improved overall performance this season, combined with the less weight-penalizing nature of the Monaco circuit, contributed to their success.
“So, the highest number is the most and here’s the lowest number. It makes it not a fair game, but a fairer game around here.
“Additionally, just the genetic makeup, the fundamental car has undergone significant changes from last year. If you consider the areas we strive to concentrate on, it was slow speed, tight corners.”
However, while Albon views this as a positive indication of what Williams can accomplish once it reaches the minimum weight limit, he acknowledges that it will not be a quick process.
When asked if his best result this season so far provided a good glimpse into the future, Albon responded: “It does, but losing weight is not that simple. At least not for us.
“So yes, we have some work to do to investigate it further. But we were already aware of that.
“We are aware of our differences every weekend when we compare where we are to where we could have been.
“But it is a flaw, you know, we need to address that and strive to not be overweight because I believe we can have performances like this more frequently.”
Albon is also maintaining a cautious approach to his chances of converting his ninth place on the grid into points in the race due to the excessive graining he experienced during practice.
Regarding his prospects, Albon previewed: “Let’s wait and see. Because last year we had such severe graining that it was still easy for other cars to overtake us.
“So we will have to manage it. Manage the graining. We experienced significant graining yesterday as well during the long run.
“So what I hope for is that the faster drivers will clear it off and provide me with some clean air to take care of the tires.”