Alexander Albon shines with Williams: “A perfect race and a top 5 finish” | F1 Dutch GP. Alexander Albon delivered a brilliant race for Williams at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Albon brings Williams into the top 5: “It was a perfect race”

All the joy of the Anglo-Thai driver stood in stark contrast to the frustration of Carlos Sainz, who finished 13th and was handed a 10-second penalty after his contact with Liam Lawson.

Qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix had ended with Carlos Sainz in ninth place, a result that, compared to Alexander Albon’s 15th spot on the grid, seemed to point towards the Spaniard as the most likely candidate to bring Williams into the points at Zandvoort. Instead, the exact opposite happened. Alex Albon delivered an impressive comeback drive all the way up to fifth place, while Sainz slipped out of the top ten and left the race angry about several incidents that worked against him during the Grand Prix.

Ten positions gained

It was essentially a flawless performance from Alexander Albon, who completed his charge into the top 5 without making a single mistake. The Williams driver also caught up with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the drivers’ standings, now both tied on 64 points in seventh place. “I think it was a perfect race,” Albon said. “We got off to a really strong start, and then there were quite a few retirements that helped us. I don’t know why there was so much chaos, but we kept it clean and put together a really strong performance. We were actually hoping for rain, because from a strategy perspective it didn’t seem like a fun race, but I think we nailed it with that great start. Being up to tenth already by the first lap put us in contention for the rest of the race. We stayed out on track, picked up the pieces from what happened around us, and came home in fifth place. I’m happy to bring in strong points, especially because with Isack finishing third, it’s really important for the championship.”