F1 News: Alex Albon Teases 'Proper Upgrade' At Williams After Summer Break Return

Alex Harrington | Aug 2, 2024

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Williams Racing driver Alexander Albon of Thailand speaks during media availabilities at Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Albon of Williams Racing has opened up about the challenges faced during the 2024 Formula 1 season. The team, struggling with an overweight car and lack of upgrades, is currently ranked ninth in the constructors' championship, securing only four points so far. Despite a lackluster performance that includes two seventh-place finishes in Monaco and Silverstone, Albon has teased a hefty upgrade coming sometime after the Summer break

Throughout the season, the British team has struggled notably, falling short of consistent top-ten placements. After finishing twelfth at the Belgian Grand Prix, the Thai-British driver wasn't afraid to express his frustration over the team's predicament.

“We haven’t had many, if any, upgrades this season so far, so we’ve been on the back foot," Albon explained. "We’re pushing hard at the factory, everyone’s working really hard… Of course, there’s a bit of a break right now, but time will tell."

Albon's outlook for the upcoming races, however, carries a tinge of optimism. The driver anticipates his "first proper upgrade" after the 2024 mid-season break, a modification that Albon believes could be a game changer. "If we can get our first proper upgrade on the car when we come back, I think we can fight for points a bit more regularly. But for now, I think P13, P12 was all we could have done today," he noted.

Reflecting on the first half of the season, Albon described it as “disappointing”.

"I think we’ve been on the back foot from the very beginning. We were late with our car and we’ve been paying the price the whole season so far. That’s about it. We’re digging deep, I think we’ve got some good things in the future. At the same time, we’ve got some areas we need to work on. We’ll use this break to look and really focus on the development not just for this year but especially for next year,” Albon stated.

With Carlos Sainz confirmed to be joining the team from 2025 onwards with a multi-year contract replacing Logan Sargeant, it's likely that Williams will retain the majority of their focus on next year's season. But, more points equals more money, so the Grove team will have to do something to improve their performance before the end of the year - especially with the likes of Haas launching themselves up the standings.

It's an exciting time for Williams, and fans of the team will be encouraged by the notable talent team chief James Vowles has been able to nail down.