F1 News

Williams made Albon feel good: 'It's nice to know you're wanted'

Williams made Albon feel good: 'It's nice to know you're wanted'

05-10-2021 15:47 Last update: 18:32
2

GPblog.com

Alex Albon will be back on the Formula One grid in 2022 after a year on the sidelines where he did simulator work at Red Bull Racing. Albon gave more information in the F1 Nation podcast about the work he's doing for the British stable and how he feels about his seat at Williams next year.

In the past year the Thai driver has not only been busy with simulator work for Red Bull, but he has also been active in DTM. As a result, 2021 has been very busy for him.

"This year with DTM and all the simulator work I’m doing, it's been hectic. I’ve been at a racetrack almost every week for six/seven months now. I’ve had one week off in six months," said the 25-year-old driver.

Being on the sidelines was a learning process

For the past year, Albon may have been able to race in DTM, but when he needed to be in the Formula One paddock he was only allowed to watch. This was something he struggled with at the beginning of the year. He felt an urge to race, but at the same time, he was not allowed to do anything. Still, he feels he learned a lot from being on the sidelines.

"It’s been pretty useful because it’s a different look at things and almost like you can look at things with a very external point of view. When you’re racing, you’re so in the moment all the time and when you’re at a race track and you’re not so focused on the driving, since you’re not doing, but you’re looking at how the team operates and how the drivers are, then you can really start to pick out and understand the experience of different drivers. I see it as a learning process."

Happy to be back in Formula 1

Albon has now had a brief year to catch his breath and try other racing classes, admitting that the start of his career was really hectic.

"The career path I had, where I was in Toro Rosso for six months and then straight into the big team, you do lack a lot of experience when you progress that quickly. The testing we have now is nowhere near as big as it was back in the day. There’s a lot of catching-up to do and you get put in that circus, the Formula One circus, where there’s a lot of things going on and on top of the driving there’s all of the media and all of the external things."

Furthermore, the Williams driver for 2022 admits that he is super excited to be able to be a part of the team's history, especially now that there are all investments being made in the team and the results are impressive. "It’s nice because you know you’re wanted and it was a good feeling to be able to have that option to be back in Formula One."