Alex Albon says a drop in wind severity saw his Williams car come “alive” as he climbed 10 places to seventh in the Qatar Sprint Race.
Albon had expected the high-speed Lusail International Circuit to suit Williams’ FW45, but the blustery conditions present earlier in the weekend had stymied the team’s hopes.
The Anglo-Thai driver accompanied team-mate Logan Sargeant in the SQ1 drop zone during Saturday’s Sprint Shootout, leaving the pair only 17th and 20th on the grid.
However, Albon took advantage of running the more durable Medium tyre in the Sprint to overtake several drivers who were struggling on degrading Soft rubber to claim eighth, which became seventh when Charles Leclerc received a post-race time penalty.
But aside from utilising the sizeable tyre offset he had, Albon asserts that Williams benefitted from the wind extremity dropping for the first time the entire weekend.
Asked if he anticipated being able to recover to the points, Albon said: “No, definitely not. A bit of carnage, which always helps, a good strategy and good pace, actually.
“The wind dropped massively today in the race, the first time it’s done it all weekend, and the car became alive. So the grip I had, it felt equal to all the top cars around me, if not quicker.
“A bit of a surprise and something we actually need to understand a bit why, but it puts us in a good place for tomorrow.”
Sargeant, however, was made to rue a “silly mistake” that left him beached in the gravel at Turn 9 and out on the third lap.
The under-pressure American had enjoyed an encouraging opening to the weekend, only narrowly missing out on out-qualifying Albon for the first time on Friday evening.
“Honestly, that was a silly mistake. I turned in too sharp off the entry kerb and the rear just went super light,” he explained.
“I’ve been driving well all weekend, that was a silly mistake, but we’ll just try and have a really good Sunday.”
He added: “It’s been a really positive weekend to that point. Luckily, got away with no damage which is nice. At the end of the day, I shouldn’t make that mistake really.
“But we get another go tomorrow in a better starting position on the grid and a longer grand prix to make something happen.”
