EXCLUSIVE: Albon reveals SECRET to his incredible defensive performances
EXCLUSIVE: Albon reveals SECRET to his incredible defensive performances
Alex Albon has fast become one of 2023's star drivers, after guiding his Williams to points and Q3 appearances on an increasingly regular basis – and has shared the secret to his success.
The competitiveness of the FW45 in the congested Formula 1 midfield and Albon's adept defence from chasing drivers has raised the Thai ace's reputation in the paddock and fanbase.
The incredible Canadian Grand Prix P7, which saw Albon pick up the Driver of the Day award, is a testament to how tricky to pass he can be on a grand prix Sunday – and he emulated that points haul again on Sunday with a masterful Monza drive fending off the McLarens.
When GPFans asked for his thoughts on this in an exclusive interview with the Williams racer, Albon was quick to highlight his car's role in his top-10 finishes.
"I have to give credit to the car as well," he admitted. "I do think we have a car that's quite difficult to overtake. We have a car that's obviously quite quick on a straight line. Our traction out of corners is also not that bad, considering the downforce level that we run.
"So, if you take those two, we come out of the corner quite fast, then we're quite hard to catch down the straights. There is that going on."
READ MORE: F1 team boss praises 'FANTASTIC' Albon for key racer's attribute
Albon: I enjoy the pressure of defensive driving
Whoever is behind the wheel has to do the defending, though, no matter the car's strengths, and Albon admits he relishes those battles.
"But also, I think...defensive driving, a lot of it, it's about...just, basically, being able to deal with the pressure," he said. "The pressure of cars being behind you and all that kind of thing. Which I actually enjoy! I enjoy that feeling.
"Especially when I'm in a position where I can score points. When there's a bit of... a bit of a reward or something at stake, that's a lot of fun. At least for the races that we've had to keep cars behind, I've just been able to keep them behind.
"And the more that I do them, which I'm doing more and more at Williams – it's almost a character, a style that we have, especially in the races sometimes – the better you get at them. You start to understand, your strengths and weaknesses, other cars' that you're racing, strengths and weaknesses. So yeah, it's good fun."
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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