Alex Albon has defended his interim Williams teammate Franco Colapinto, arguing that the rookie’s costly crashes in the back half of the 2024 F1 season shouldn’t diminish his merits.
Colapinto was drafted in by Williams at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza last September to replace Logan Sargeant after the American failed to improve his results.
Colapinto’s initial performances with the Grove-based outfit were nothing short of remarkable, with the 21-year-old scoring two top-ten finishes in his first four races with Williams
His composure and adaptability drew praise across the paddock, even reportedly catching the attention of Red Bull as it weighed its options for 2025.
However, his momentum was disrupted by successive crashes in Brazil and Las Vegas, which raised concerns about the young gun’s reliability and consistency.
Albon, however, believes it's unfair to judge Colapinto solely on these incidents, highlighting the role Williams’ declining car performance played in the difficulties both drivers faced.
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Asked if Colapinto’s missteps had tainted his impressive performances, Albon said: "I hope not. I don't think he deserves it to be.
"I think it really goes in tandem with the performance of the car, and it became tricky at the end of the season,” he added, quotes by Motorsport.com.
“It was tricky for me. I didn't have a fantastic end of the season, and I don't always just blame myself, so I think the team knows how good he is."
Albon pointed out that Colapinto joined Williams at a time when the FW46 was at its most competitive, benefiting from weight reduction and a major upgrade package introduced before the Dutch Grand Prix.
However, as the season progressed, the team’s performance began to decline, making the car more difficult to drive and the competition fiercer.
“In terms of timing, I think it was perfect he came in when the car was at its most competitive and possibly easier to drive back than it is now, on tracks that were also quite nice to drive,” said Albon.
“To be fair he did a very good job in Baku and Singapore, and they weren’t easy tracks to drive.
“And then it’s just F1; I think we’ve fallen back. You could still get into Q2 with an average lap whereas later you had to do a great lap to get into Q2 and all these kind of things. And it just distorts slightly where it comes.”
Albon noted that the increasing competitiveness of the field in the latter half of the season left no room for mistakes, making it easy for drivers to overpush, especially rookies like Colapinto.
The Anglo-Thai racer sympathized with the challenges the 21-year-old faced at high-stakes circuits like Interlagos and Las Vegas.
“It’s easy to overpush when it’s that tight and there is no margin to be slow or to make a mistake,” Albon explained.
“Both of us went through a tough group of races, so I wouldn’t blame him too much. Especially Brazil, first time in the wet, that’s not easy around a difficult track. And then obviously Vegas was just tricky.”
Despite the setbacks, Albon remains confident in Colapinto’s talent and potential, expressing his belief that the Argentine driver – who will act next season as Williams’ official reserve – will return to the grid at some point in the future.
“He’s a fantastic driver. I feel like he’s proved his worth in Formula 1,” Albon said.
“Definitely, when he joined, I underestimated just how quick he was going to be, and I believe we’ll see him in Formula 1 at some point in the future.”
While Colapinto’s F1 future may be uncertain for now, Albon’s words provide a strong endorsement of his abilities and potential, reminding the paddock not to let a tough finish overshadow the promise he displayed during his Williams cameo.
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