Alex Albon reveals changes needed to driving style for new F1 cars

Williams driver Alex Albon says that the heavier nature of the new-era Formula 1 cars is making things quite different in terms of the driving style needed to extract maximum performance.

The Thai/British driver returns to the grid for 2022 after a year away competing in DTM and it’s going to be fascinating watching him drive for a team that has no connection to the Red Bull driver programme.

He looks pretty at home already, though, with the Grove-based outfit and put in some solid lap times on day one of the second F1 test, which is being held at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.

The track, of course, is hosting the first Grand Prix of the season next weekend, too, and it provides a different sort of challenge to the one in Barcelona, where the first test was held in February, with gusty winds certainly catching a few drivers by surprise in these heavier cars already this week.

Albon, then, has said that the driving style for these new Formula 1 machines, completely overhauled for 2022, needs to be different to what we have seen for recent years.

He explained:

“Everyone is going off. I was heading towards the GP2 pit lane! There must be a rubbered-in line out there now, it’s actually quite grippy out there.

“There’s a big tailwind here, which doesn’t help. We’ve got the added weight in the cars naturally. It’s a completely different way to drive to the corner than it was in previous years, quite a different driving style.

“It’s not easy. On our side, I think we all know, on a balance point of view, we can do a better job than we did on day one, and hopefully help improve that, but in some ways, it’s quite comforting to see everyone else also going off the track.”

As mentioned, Albon is back in Formula 1 for 2022 and will