After qualifying for the Japanese GP, Alex Albon caused a stir with a cynical tirade about his early exit in Q1. The Williams driver finished in seventeenth place. Over the team radio, there was a lot of frustration about the team’s lack of competitiveness. Albon speaks of serious flaws in the FW48, but for now, the engineers are baffled. In any case, it’s not due to his driving style, Albon made sarcastically clear.
Read more Lando Norris not at his best in Japan: ‘Playing catch-up’
While Albon was making his exit in Q1, he asked his engineer in which sectors he was slower than teammate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard had managed to qualify in the top sixteen. “You can probably guess, I think,” came the telling reply. Albon reacted cynically: “I’ve been complaining for three races in a row that something is wrong, but yeah, it must be my driving style.” In a sarcastic manner, he tried to urge the team to look for the problem elsewhere.
Identifying problems
Once cooled down, Albon nuanced his statements somewhat, although he clearly continued to search for answers. “In general, we’re just working on a number of issues,” he explained to the press. “The car feels good, the balance is fine… I think we’re fast in the corners, but falling short in other areas. We’ll solve it. For now, it’s a matter of continuing to push to find the cause of these problems.”
Read more Wolff sings Antonelli’s praises, warns competition: ‘He is coming’
He also emphasized that there is no lack of trust within the team. “No, it’s not that they don’t believe me when I say something is wrong with the car. The team is working hard to find out what’s going on; we just haven’t found it yet.” According to Albon, the current regulations also play a role in his frustration, with energy management having a major influence on lap times. “You can be faster than the competition in every corner, but ultimately still clock a slower time,” he explained. “So initially, I was quite happy with my lap. But it is what it is. That’s how it goes sometimes.”
Read more Jos Verstappen stands up for son Max: ‘Some people are just saying anything’
Read everything about the Japanese GP here
