During the official press conference ahead of the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, Williams driver Alexander Albon returned to the topic of the controversial race start at Spa-Francorchamps, while also looking ahead with optimism to the ongoing race weekend in Budapest.
Alexander Albon continues to demonstrate consistent and impressive performances with the Williams Formula 1 team, showing steady progress weekend after weekend. While his team-mate Carlos Sainz is still struggling to fully adapt to the new car and extract its full potential, the Thai-British driver has been delivering results that exceed expectations.
A prime example came during the recent Belgian Grand Prix, held at the iconic Spa circuit, where Alexander Albon secured a strong sixth-place finish. This result was largely made possible thanks to an excellent qualifying session in which Albon managed to claim fifth position on the starting grid, ultimately losing just one place during the race. His pace and defensive driving meant that even Lewis Hamilton, driving for Scuderia Ferrari, was stuck behind him and unable to find a way past the remarkably fast Williams FW47 throughout the race.
A major topic of conversation during that Belgian Grand Prix weekend was the controversial way in which the race was started. The race stewards made a very cautious decision to delay the start until the track conditions had improved significantly and were close to being suitable for intermediate or even slick tyres. Furthermore, the race was not started from a traditional standing grid start, but instead began behind the Safety Car — a choice that received criticism from several quarters.
Alexander Albon addressed this decision and offered insight into the concerns shared by drivers. Commenting on the FIA’s conservative approach, he stated: “The problem today is that extreme wet weather tyres and the actual track conditions just do not work well together. It’s not that the tyres are inherently bad — the issue is that we simply cannot see anything in those situations.”
He elaborated further by saying: “Unfortunately, only we as drivers truly understand just how dangerous it can be out there. From the outside, we may look like we’re constantly complaining or being overly cautious, but that is far from the truth. Incidents like those involving Isaac [Hadjar] and Kimi [Antonelli] at Silverstone show just how serious it can get. Driving at speeds of 250 km/h without being able to see more than 20 metres ahead is one of the worst and most terrifying experiences a driver can face.”
Having closed the chapter on Belgium and moved on to the present race weekend, Alexander Albon also shared his expectations for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit. He said: “We really needed a bit of momentum. We had come from a few difficult races, and that performance in Spa gave everyone a big energy boost, both in the factory and at the track.”
He continued by pointing out the effectiveness of recent updates brought to the car: “We’ve shown that whenever we bring upgrades to the car, they actually work. And more importantly, we’ve been able to score some valuable championship points. I don’t think this will automatically translate into strong performances at every race, especially not this weekend, but it’s certainly a step forward.”
Reflecting on what may have helped the team perform recently, he added: “Tracks like Silverstone and Spa probably suited our car more, both in terms of layout and with the unpredictable weather conditions. But we’re also working on other things to improve performance this weekend here in Hungary. We’re definitely heading in the right direction.”
As for the Hungaroring itself, Alexander Albon remained cautiously optimistic: “This track has always been quite difficult for us. To be honest, I don’t even remember what my best qualifying result was here — I might have never even made it into Q3. But this weekend, I think we’re in a much better position than in previous years.”
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