Alex Albon says his return to the F1 grid this season with Williams has restored his confidence in his driving, with the Anglo-Thai racer now feeling once again "back in control on the limit".
Albon enjoyed an unexpected fairy-tale promotion to F1 in 2019 thanks to Red Bull that was followed by an in-season move up from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing.
But a disappointing campaign in 2020 during which he underperformed significantly relative to Max Verstappen sent Albon to the sidelines last year.
The 26-year-old kept himself partly busy with a driver in the German DTM series, but F1 beckoned once again and he was offered a multi-year deal with Williams with Red Bull's approval.
"Truthfully, the main thing I wanted, when I got back into F1, was to stay in F1," Albon said, quoted by RaceFans. "That sounds like a very silly thing to say, but it is true.
"You have a one-year contract, there’s no guarantee [of another]. And that box has been firmly ticked, let’s say."
So far this year, Albon has only scored three top-ten finished. But while points were few and far between, he established himself as Williams' indisputable leader and more importantly, restored his confidence and his self-belief in his ability and skills.
"In terms of myself, in terms of driving and getting that confidence back behind the wheel, basically getting into the rhythm of the car and feeling like I’m in control on the limit, I really do feel like I’ve got that bit back," he said.
"It was something which I kind of lost a little bit towards the end of that 2020 season. When you’re driving a DTM car, it’s a completely different thing. You can’t really gauge where you’re at.
"Now I really do feel like I’m driving well. And a lot of that is down to confidence in the car, and that again is something which I feel like I’ve ticked."
At Williams, Albon has been able to find his footing once again in F1 without any undue pressure. And "all things considered", he believes that he has acquitted himself well this year.
"I do feel like I’ve done a good job this year and I feel like I proved myself to what I know I can do," he said.
"Of course I still want to push on and still do good results and impress and show the team what I can do.
"But for this year, having the year out, and all things considered, I feel like it’s been a positive year. I feel like this has maybe even gone better than I expected it to."
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