F1 News: Alex Albon Slated As Future World Champion For These Reasons

Williams’ Head of Vehicle Performance, Dave Robson, recently bestowed high praise on Alex Albon, earmarking him as a potential Formula 1 world champion. Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Robson highlighted Albon’s diverse skill set and adaptability as key factors in his assessment, particularly praising Albon’s work during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Albon, who rejoined the Formula 1 grid with Williams in 2022 after being replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull, has quickly become pivotal for the team. Despite the team’s struggles with competitiveness, Albon has impressively managed to secure the majority of Williams’ points since his arrival. His standout performance at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished in ninth place, not only added two crucial points to his tally but also exemplified his capability to excel under pressure and in demanding conditions.

Robson lauded Albon for his “exceptionally good” pace and intelligence, noting how these traits combine effectively with his meticulous and insightful feedback on car setup.

“He’s exceptionally quick. He’s also very smart and his feedback that goes into those setups is important. He was extremely get throughout Saturday [in Monaco],” Robson commented. He also highlighted Albon’s openness and effective work during setup sessions in Monaco, a challenging environment that not all drivers handle well.

“Some drivers are not a big fan of doing set-up work in Monaco. They’d rather just be on the track and finding their own rhythm, but he was very open-minded, could see the potential benefits and was very happy to do that test.”

Further underscoring Albon’s resilience, Robson noted: “Dealing with the pressure in Monaco, when we got him into some free air in the qualifying sessions, he was able to nail it and we’ve seen that routinely throughout the last couple of years.”

The confidence in Albon’s championship potential is shared by Williams’ team boss, James Vowles, who, along with Robson, believes that Albon has all the requisite attributes to be a world champion; the one missing piece is a competitive car.

“He’s got really good pace, he’s got a lot of intelligence, works really well with his while engineers, and so far deals with the pressure very well,” Robson continued. “You’ve heard James Vowles say it as well. He’s got everything he needs, except the car right at this moment, to be world champion. We just need to provide him with that car, which obviously over the next couple of years we’re looking to do.”

Further solidifying his future with Williams, Albon inked a multi-year contract extension in May, which aligns him with the team through the introduction of new technical regulations expected in 2026. This contract extension not only secures Albon’s position but also aligns with Williams’ future plans for substantial car development aimed at elevating their competitiveness.