Alex Albon was satisfied with Williams’ performance in the qualifying session for the Monaco Formula 1 GP, but admitted that the team missed an opportunity to put one of its cars in Q3. The driver finished the session in 11th place and pointed to a small error on the final lap as decisive for the result.
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Even with the frustration of missing out on the top ten, Albon highlighted the team’s progress throughout the weekend. According to him, the strategy adopted in Monte Carlo was different from recent races and helped build a more consistent performance: “I’m happy with P11 today. We left Q3 on the table, which is a bit frustrating, but my final lap was totally on the limit,” said the Williams driver after the session.
The Thai-British driver explained that he pushed to the maximum in an attempt to secure a spot in the decisive phase of the session. During the lap, he ended up touching the barrier in the third sector, which cost him some precious tenths: “I touched the barrier in sector 3 while flat out and lost a bit of time, but I managed to keep going,” he said.
Albon also highlighted the work done by the team after a series of more difficult weekends. According to him, the goal in Monaco was to simplify the approach and gradually regain pace in each session.
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“As a team, we took a different approach this weekend to get into the rhythm earlier, after some complicated races and a lack of track time. We tried to keep everything simple and evolve step by step in each session,” he added.
For him, the result of Saturday’s session directly reflects Williams’ recent efforts. With himself in 11th and Carlos Sainz in 12th, the team believes there are still opportunities to advance during the race on the streets of the Principality.
Looking ahead to the race, Albon believes strategy will be decisive: “The race looks like it’s heading for a one-stop, so getting a good start will be crucial to try and gain positions and get into the points zone,” he concluded.
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