Vowles: Albon bringing the car to the limit of its performance

Alex Albon has been delivering a string of strong performance for Williams so far this season, qualifying in the top ten on four occasions so far, while scoring points in Canada and Silverstone, which means the team sit seventh in the 2023 Formula 1 Constructors'' Championship, with 11 points and ahead of Haas, Alfa Romeo, and AlphaTauri.

It is Albon's second season with Williams, while Vowles took over the Team Principal job at the start of the season, and after working for ten races together, the boss is happy with his driver who finished seventh in Canada and eighth in Britain.

Vowles spoke of Albon in Beyond the Grid podcast, he said: "There’s no ego. He’s a funny chap, but I called him [after Canada] to explain to him that was a drive of champions. I’ve worked with a good number of them and it really was.

"He didn’t put a foot wrong at the point where he’s under pressure from four incredibly fast-charging cars behind on tyres that were in a much better state than his. Some of the work he was doing on repositioning his car, on the exit of [Turn 10] and a few other corners, was very clever," he explained.

"He recognises that," Vowles added. "He’s obviously not someone that’s going to go in and boast about it to the world, but for me, that was a drive of a champion.

"He’s definitely bringing the car to the limit of its performance, which is what you’re looking for out of a driver. I think he’s very underrated and I’m incredibly happy that he’s here within our organisation today," he maintained.

With Williams undergoing a major rebuilding process under Vowles' watch, does Albon have what it takes to lead the team and would the former build the team around him?

"Yes, I would," was the answer. "He’s got leadership qualities to him. There are areas where he and I talk about where I think he can do more, but he’s got what it takes to bring us forward as an organisation.

"As I said, for the future, from where I am at the moment, I hope he’s very much a part of it," Vowles concluded.

With recent reports claiming Albon might be on the Ferrari radar, despite denials from Frederic Vasseur, if the Williams driver continues his strong performance, Williams might have a challenge to convince him to stay should other teams, not only Ferrari express interest in his services.