Alex Albon looks to be settling in really well with new team Williams following his move from Red Bull.
The British-Thai driver had been a part of the Red Bull set-up since 2012, and while he does still retain a loose link to the team that helped bring him up through the ranks, his move to Williams to replace the Mercedes-bound George Russell is a case of him flying the metaphorical nest.
After being dropped from the Red Bull senior team in favour of Sergio Perez, Albon had to watch the 2021 season from the sidelines in a reserve and development role and, with Red Bull retain their line-ups across the main outfit and sister team AlphaTauri, the 25-year-old had to look outside of his familiar home if he wanted to get a second chance in Formula 1.
Williams have provided that new home and, having made the move, it would not be completely out of the realms of possibility that going from Red Bull to Williams may have been a bit of a shock given to gulf in performance between the two teams over the years.
But Albon said during the three-day unofficial test in Barcelona that the transition has been a smooth one due to similarities in set-up between the two teams.
Positive vibes only ✌️ @alex_albon pic.twitter.com/q3qM7C2v9a
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) March 3, 2022
“It’s not different, not very different at all,” said Albon, as quoted by the official Formula 1 website.
“All F1 teams operate in a very similar way, it’s more like going to a new workplace or a new school: new faces to learn and new names to remember.
“But it’s great, the atmosphere is great.
“Obviously, they’ve come back from a good year last year; that momentum is in the team and obviously with the new investment, with Jost [Capito] as well, it’s a great team to be a part of.”
Williams were a respectable fifth place on the lap charts in Barcelona, racking up 347 laps in total across the three days.
And that has given Albon enough time to make a very positive first assessment of the FW44.
“Honestly, feeling very good, getting good mileage into the car,” said Albon.
“It seems like everyone is doing pretty well, everyone is getting good mileage in.
“The car is feeling very, very good to begin with. I feel like we’ve got a good foundation to start the year on.”
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