Alex Albon: New F1 car regulations suit drivers with more aggressive driving style

Alexander Albon said Williams is fully focused on the next season. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Williams F1 driver Alexander Albon felt the new car regulations suit drivers with a more aggressive driving style.

Speaking ahead of the Bahrain GP, to be held in Sepang, Malaysia, this weekend, Albon reckoned it is one reason championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli has excelled so far, despite it being just his second year in the sport.

“There are usually two things. The cars themselves are a lot smaller. The tyres have changed a lot, too. So driving style in the corners, it’s subtle.”

“But basically, I think a lot of the drivers push entries, so if you think famously, someone like Lewis (Hamilton) and I think Kimi does a very similar thing. They are being rewarded. I think it’s complicated, because the rear tyres are not as strong this year as they were in previous years, relative to the front tyres,” said Albon.

The other main challenge has been dealing with battery deployment based on a driver’s gear shifts and throttle inputs.

“A lot of the deployment is down to the drivers, the way the driver downshifts and upshifts, also the way the driver brakes. And the biggest factor is the way the driver goes on the throttle. So I wouldn’t say it’s conscious. At first, when it was changed, it was very difficult to understand. It was very against my personal driving style. And so, over time- we are in October now- I have only just started to feel natural driving a car, which is a lot longer than it takes,” added the Thai-British driver.

Also read | Why is Formula One’s 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix being hosted in Malaysia?

Williams entered the 2026 season with high expectations after starting work early last year for the new regulations but have fallen the pecking order. After finishing fifth in 2025, Williams is currently ninth in the standings with 12 points.

In Baku, the team made upgrades that reduced the car’s weight, allowing Carlos Sainz to reach Q3 and score a point. Looking ahead, Albon said the team is now fully focused on next year.

“I think if we really look at this year as a whole, the best way we can arrive at race one next year competitively is to focus on 2027. And that means not bringing upgrades for the rest of the year. That means all the simulator work that we’re doing behind the scenes is now focused on next year’s car. And generally, the language which the whole team speaks is more about next year’s car.

“So sometimes you need to take one step back in many ways or hold some of the development back to make sure that you make a bigger step later on. And that’s really what we’re doing.

“We need to be very ambitious and very aggressive with the rate at which we’re going to develop for next year. Because, like I said before, the speed at which teams can progress is higher than ever,” said Albon.

Published on Oct 01, 2026

Latest on Sportstar

1. Live Blog 2026-10-01T05:16:06+05:30

   Asian Games 2026 Updates Day 13: India beats Pakistan to enter hockey final; Squash-W, Ganesh win bronze; Manu-Prince, Nitesh win silver
2. Asian Games 2026: India advances to men’s hockey final after nervy 4-3 win over Pakistan
3. Asian Games 2026 India medal tally tracker, October 1: India wins bronze in women’s, men’s team squash, Prince-Manu win sailing silver