F1 team boss makes in-demand driver admission which will capture rivals’ attention

Sam Cooper 18 Jan 2024 8:00 PM

The 2023 drivers line up on the grid

James Vowles said Alex Albon “hasn’t stopped growing yet”, the belief of further potential to extract something which will please the likes of Ferrari who the Williams star has been linked with.

Albon’s impressive performances both in 2022 and 2023 have put him on the radar of a number of other constructors with 14 drivers out of contract at the end of this year, Ferrari having been consistently credited with an interest in the Anglo-Thai driver.

But Williams will be desperate to keep hold of him with the former Red Bull driver having contributed 96 per cent of the team’s points in 2023.

James Volwes talks up Alex Albon’s ability

Albon has rebuilt his career since being dropped by Red Bull and is now one of the hottest properties on the grid.

But his value to Williams is great and team boss Vowles has been praising his lead driver.

“I’ve known Alex for around eight years and I couldn’t wait to come here and rekindle that relationship that we had before,” he told Motorsport.com. “He’s really quick, he has the right mindset – and that’s really important, not just for him but for any driver to get the most out of themselves.

“I think if you look at him across the year, and even speak to him openly and candidly, he’s not the same driver that I started with in Bahrain. He has really matured across the season and he got the most out of the car, there is no doubt about that.

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“We were seventh as a result of his incredible drives this year. The team did a great job with getting the car together and stretching it, but he’s still [often] had four or six cars behind him that were down his neck the whole race. That’s quite impressive.”

But what has most impressed Vowles is the way Albon approaches his work and in particular the “no politics” mantra, though considering rival teams already are being linked with a swoop for Albon, Vowles’ belief that we have not seen the best of their driver yet will likely only strengthen the interest.

“What I like about him is he hasn’t stopped growing yet,” he said of the 27-year-old. “He hasn’t stopped maturing yet, but also what I like about him is there’s no politics. He just wants to get in the car and drive quickly, and I think that’s why it works really well.”