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Alex Albon has conceded the threat to Williams from a Daniel Ricciardo-inspired AlphaTauri “is very real” as it fights to hold on to its seventh position in the F1 constructors’ championship.
Williams – and Albon especially – has performed remarkably this season, notably punching above its weight after opting not to further develop the car since the introduction of its last upgrade ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
For a considerable period of time, it has held on to seventh in the team standings, a far cry from finishing last in four of the previous five seasons.
AlphaTauri is now pushing to overhaul its rival, with Daniel Ricciardo’s six-point haul from Sunday’s race in Mexico lifting it off the bottom for the first time this year and into eighth position, 12 points behind Williams.
“The threat is very real,” said Albon when asked about AlphaTauri’s sudden rise which has been aided by a major upgrade to its car going into the Singapore GP.
“They put on their upgrade, and straightaway made a big step, and over time it seems they’ve unlocked it more and more. They’ve overtaken us in terms of pace, that’s pretty clear.”
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s São Paulo GP, Albon added: “They’ve gone to a couple of tracks, and I think this track will be another example, that suits their car quite well as they seem to be very strong in low-speed corners, so it is going to be tough.
“These last few races are more about holding on than anything else, but you don’t want to have that mindset. You still want to be aggressive and push on, but it will be tricky.
“We took the choice to stop upgrading our car since we put on the upgrade in Canada. For us, a lot of it is now about next year.
“Of course, it would be a shame to lose P7, but I still think it’s the right thing to do.”
Ricciardo’s arrival at the team has also had a significant impact, with his experience on the engineering side helping to quickly optimise the AT04 in terms of setup.
Conversely, AlphaTauri has also been able to adapt to Ricciardo’s particular driving style, witnessed by the performance across the weekend in Mexico where the Australian qualified fourth and finished seventh.
Asked by Speedcafe about the difference a now confident Ricciardo was making, Albon said: “Yeah, it makes a difference.
“More than the driving, it’s also the feedback. It’s probably an area that doesn’t get noticed too much.
“I don’t know if he is giving different feedback to other drivers, but if he’s able to understand the package and maybe extract a bit more out of it, that always helps.
“I always say that my time at Red Bull was very valuable because I understood how that car felt to be quick, what it needed, so when I arrived at Williams, I straightaway said, ‘Okay, it’s these areas and these corners where it’s very clear where we lose lap time’.”
Referencing Ricciardo’s test at Silverstone immediately after the British GP in July that provided him with the gateway back into an F1 race seat, Albon said: “I wonder if Daniel had this same kind of feeling.
“He didn’t do enough laps at Silverstone in the Red Bull to maybe give proper feedback, but it does help to know where to improve the car.”
Ultimately, Albon was far from surprised with AlphaTauri’s performance in Mexico, with Ricciardo splitting Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on the grid.
“Even before Yuki’s crash (in the race), they dropped me very quickly,” assessed Albon.
“It’s also tricky for them because they’ve had so many different drivers over this year to really know where that car is at, to be honest with you, but they’re quick. There’s no doubt about that.”
