2024 F1 mid-season driver rankings #9: Alexander Albon · RaceFans

There’s no query about which of Williams’ two drivers is the strongest. A year-and-a-half into their partnership, the battle between Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant has been extra one-sided than any within the area.

However Albon’s drubbing of Sargeant really makes it tougher to evaluate simply how good he’s relative to his friends all through the sphere. As his workforce principal noticed, if one driver is at all times forward, it may be tough to ensure that the total potential of the automobile is actually being realised.

On the summer season break, Albon has far fewer factors than he did at this level within the championship final yr – solely 4 in comparison with the 21 he’d accrued after the 14th spherical final yr. However whereas he hasn’t had as many flashes of giant-killing brilliance that he confirmed all through 2022 and 2023, like Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon behind him on this record, Albon has been placing within the work every weekend.

Though he hasn’t had as many highs and excellent outcomes as in earlier years, his talent can nonetheless be seen in his consistency. Regardless of driving for the ninth-ranked workforce within the championship, Albon has solely been eradicated from Q1 on two events in 2024 – fewer instances than the likes of Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly… and even Sergio Perez.

Though he’s solely secured a pair of prime ten finishes in 2024 to date, it simply may have been extra have been it not for the remarkably excessive reliability fee this season. He completed eleventh twice in Jeddah and Melbourne, then was working in eleventh once more in Montreal earlier than he was caught out by Carlos Sainz Jnr spinning in entrance of him and taking him out of the race.

Even his second factors end of the season at his workforce’s dwelling grand prix at Silverstone got here regardless of battling via entrance wing harm sustained on the opening lap. His efficiency in Spa was additionally very sturdy, solely three-thousandths of a second shy of denying Perez a spot in Q3 earlier than ending inside a second of Lance Stroll in what would change into twelfth.

It’s arduous to have a look at any weekend of the season to date the place Albon has carried out something lower than an appropriate job. The apparent low level was Melbourne, the place his observe error left Williams with just one raceable chassis for the remainder of the weekend. Though Sargeant didn’t need to be punished for his workforce mate’s mistake, workforce principal James Vowles’ resolution to provide Albon Sargeant’s automobile for the remainder of the weekend was one many may perceive. Though it did not repay with factors, Albon solely simply missed out on the highest ten after a gutsy drive which solely validated his workforce’s controversial name.

However that was the one true destructive of observe from the primary section of Albon’s 2024 season. Thrashing a workforce mate who is probably going the Twentieth-best driver within the area is hardly an impressive achievement, however Albon has additionally put in loads of spectacular performances that stand on their very own deserves. The competitors between him and Sainz subsequent yr might be actually fascinating to behold.

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