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Alexander Albon is under pressure at Williams and the person making that point most directly this week is Ralf Schumacher. The former driver believes Albon has been losing ground to Carlos Sainz in a way that will not escape the attention of team principal James Vowles, who has a reputation for making hard decisions.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Albon sits seventeenth in the championship after four races with a single point to his name, collected with a tenth place in Miami. It was his first points finish since Monza last year. Sainz, in the same car, drove to the top ten five times in the same period and took two podiums. The gap between them is not small and it is not explainable by car allocation or strategy.
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Miami Was Actually Promising for Williams
Schumacher was prepared to acknowledge that the team itself performed better than expected in Florida. "Let me put it this way: Miami went better than expected. The team deserves credit for that. If it is true that the car is still almost thirty kilograms overweight, then that speaks in their favour. Just removing that extra weight alone could make a difference of seven or eight tenths without any further development of the car. I do believe they can make progress, but it is also urgently needed."
Albon Has Lost His Edge
His assessment of Albon specifically was direct. "Now that we are talking about Williams: it is also urgently necessary for Albon to step up a gear. Sainz was already stronger last year and Albon has lost some of his shine. Williams may not need to think about a driver change immediately, but I am curious what will happen there. James Vowles is an active team principal and is naturally also keeping an eye on the younger generation."
The reference to younger talent is a pointed one. Williams' junior programme includes Luke Browning and Victor Martins, neither of whom appears quite ready for a full Formula 1 seat yet. But Vowles has shown he is not afraid to move when he believes the time is right. Albon has been given a warning, even if it came from outside the team.
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