Damon Hill has praised Alex Albon for the ‘great job’ the Williams driver has delivered since Carlos Sainz moved to Grove following Ferrari’s decision to ditch the Spaniard.
Williams took full advantage of Ferrari opting against giving Sainz a new contract last season to sign the four-time Grand Prix winner. The Scuderia decided to let Sainz leave Maranello in order to sign Lewis Hamilton, which proved very tempting for a number of Formula 1 teams.
Team principal James Vowles made a very public pursuit of Sainz after he decided to replace Logan Sargeant. Yet the 30-year-old would arrive in Grove to replace Franco Colapinto in the end, as Williams dropped Sargeant mid-season last term with the American failing to deliver.
Damon Hill hails Alex Albon for ‘stepping up’ to Carlos Sainz joining Williams
Williams beat interest from Alpine and Audi to sign Sainz, but Vowles is still to fully reap the rewards of the coup. The 30-year-old has endured a slow start with the Grove crew to score five points in the first five Grands Prix plus two F1 Sprints, compared to the 20 Albon boasts.
READ MORE: Williams driver Alex Albon’s life outside F1 with net worth, girlfriend to parents
Sainz has not finished higher than the P8 the Madrid native took in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, whereas Albon’s best result is P5 at the Australian Grand Prix where his new teammate crashed on Lap 1. The 29-year-old has also scored points in four Grands Prix instead of two.
Part of his problems stem from adapting to the FW47 as Sainz struggles with Williams’ car at slow speed. But how Albon has ‘stepped up’ to the six-time Grand Prix pole-sitter joining his team has impressed Hill, who now thinks the challenge at Williams has also moved to Sainz.
Hill told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (3/5, 17:23): “Alex Albon has stepped up to the challenge of Carlos arriving, who’s a highly-rated driver.
“Carlos is going to have to work really hard to get familiar with the team and show what he can do. At the moment, he’s finding it a bit unfamiliar, perhaps, and Alex is doing a great job.”
Alex Albon proved Damon Hill’s point in the Miami Sprint whilst Carlos Sainz crashed
Albon initially secured five points after finishing the F1 Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix in P4. Sainz retired on Lap 13 of 18 after puncturing the left-rear tyre on his FW47 after hitting the wall at Turn 14, which also damaged his floor, while following Aston Martin ace Lance Stroll.
READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height
Stroll and Sainz had just pitted to move from intermediate to slick tyres when the Spaniard crashed. Albon was already running in P6 before the pit stops after qualifying P8 compared to Sainz’s P15 and would also benefit from Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s unsafe release.
Red Bull released Verstappen into the path of Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who impressively took avoiding action after spotting the four-time reigning F1 drivers’ champion to prevent running into the Italian’s mechanics at the price of an extra visit into the pit lane.
But Albon lost the five points the London-born Thai scored in the Miami Sprint for securing P4 as the Williams racer received a post-race five-second time penalty that dropped him to just P12. So, instead of Albon boasting 25 points this year, he remains on 20 after the Sprint.
