Albon: Williams lack of F1 performance a "realisation" of task ahead

The Grove-based team was one of the surprises of 2023 when it jumped from the bottom of the 2022 constructors' championship to finish seventh as Albon fought for the top 10 in a number of races.

But Williams' upward trajectory has so far failed to continue in 2024 due to a car that's not as competitive as the team expected.

Williams is one of two teams - along with Sauber - yet to score a point after six rounds, with Albon having finished 11th twice as his best results. Team-mate Logan Sargeant has not finished higher than 14th.

The British squad has also been affected by delays in producing spare parts and chassis, with Sargeant forced to miss the Australian GP after Albon damaged his car and Williams, not having a spare, decided to give the American's chassis to his team-mate.

Albon says all those factors have made him realise how much work there is yet to do to be in the mix for points frequently, but he insists he still has full confidence in team boss James Vowles' strategy to turn its fortunes around.

"I would say that we've asked a lot from the team from last year to this year," said Albon.

"You can see James has really put a big effort in really moving the team forwards and trying to get the team back on to a level where we should be fighting for, at least for now, towards the backfield of that top section of performance, the Astons and the Mercedes.

"At the minute, we're not quite there and the changes that we're making to be in a in a strong position to become one of those teams is a huge task. I have a lot of confidence in James to know that he's making the right decisions, and it's the right way to go about it.

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

"It's a realisation, to some extent, just the steps that we have to make to be one of those teams."

Despite the lack of points so far in 2024, Albon believes Williams has continued to make progress in establishing a stronger base to work on as a result of the changes implemented by Vowles since he joined at the start of 2023.

"It's true that we haven't started the year where we wanted to, and it's been a bit tough for us as a team," Albon said.

"We've not had the pace and we've been a bit delayed on our updates and upgrades.

"I do believe the team is strong and healthy. I feel like there is definitely going to be an improvement. It's always nice if it happens now, but James is the right person for the job. There is definite progress."

He added: "It's a big transition and it takes a lot of work. There are some things at Williams... we're gonna take a bit of time, a bit longer than we want to, but it's gonna be there.

"The good thing is we are acting on those areas. We are making steps, and we are leaving no stone unturned. So it's gonna be better for sure. It's just timing."