Alex Albon admits that becoming a team leader of sorts at Williams is a "new role" for him, and credits his year on the sidelines with Red Bull as giving him the ability to do this. The British-Thai driver has had a successful comeback so far in 2022, having scored all of the team's points at this stage, as well as comfortably outperforming teammate Nicholas Latifi in the process. Along with this, Albon is confident that the FW44 can continue to improve with the right upgrades. "There [are] clear directions to go, and I 100 per cent believe if we fix them, we'll be up there fighting for points," Albon told the Beyond The Grid podcast. "It's more or less about efficiency, choosing the right upgrades at the right time, and making sure we're doing the right steps to achieve that. Because it's easy to see a lot of issues at once, and then go, 'We need to make everything better'. "But, realistically speaking, we just need to choose the biggest problems and focus on them. Especially with the budget cap that's come in, you have to be very selective about what you upgrade. So that's the plan right now."
How Albon has taken on "team leader" role
With this in mind, Albon feels that he has been able to play a role in helping the team to decide on the direction of their updates. "I rely on them as well, so we're a true team in that," the driver continued. "We've been on the sim[ulator], making sure we get the right direction. It's [an] exciting time. It's really enjoyable to be a part of a team where everyone's ears are open, and we're all trying the best for the team. "And we're exploring, we're looking at different avenues to go down." Albon feels that this is where he has taken on new responsibilities. "I quite enjoy [it]. It's kind of a new role for me, because I'm not the most outspoken person," he added. "But I do feel like I've had that year in-between where I've been able to develop, not just as a driver, but as a person, and I feel more mature. "I feel like I can be that team leader, and trying to put that into use and be a part of that development is exciting."
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