Alex Albon says his current focus is on helping Williams revive its former lustre, but if the Grove-based outfit fails to sustain its progress, he will "look elsewhere" for a winning opportunity.
After a two-year apprenticeship within the Red Bull family that ended with him dropping off the grid at the end of 2020 followed by a year on the sidelines, Albon returned to F1 full-time in 2022 with Williams.
The Anglo-Thai racer scored just a handful of points during his maiden season with the team, his efforts constrained by the depressed performance level of Williams' FW44, the outfit's first ground-effects car.
While there was a fair amount of disruption at the team in the wake of its decision to part ways with team principal Jost Capito and technical director FX Demaison, Williams' engineering department actually produced a better car for 2023 while the team's management was entrusted to former Mercedes strategist James Vowles.
So far this season, Albon has already almost tripled his 2022 points tally which has elevated William to seventh in F1's Constructors' standings.
Speaking to The Race before heading off to his summer break, Albon acknowledged Williams' progress but admitted also to headway of his own in an environment in which he now feels at home.
"A lot of it comes down to me being the most comfortable as well," Albon said.
"It feels like it’s been a great season so far. Obviously, we’re still only halfway through it. But it just feels like everything’s connecting.
"A year with the team really does help. It feels like you have a much stronger base to build on, a lot more knowledge and experience from the year before so you can already pick up the limitations, the negatives of the car, you already start thinking about them and addressing them on the sim or in FP1 straight away.
"And at the same time, just having a quicker car just puts everything more in the spotlight.
"I definitely feel like I’ve made a step forward. But also the car has to a point where it just puts us more in the spotlight.
"When we are there to score points, we’re scoring points and that obviously attracts much more attention.
"Things are going very well. That being said, in my eyes, there’s still more to come."
More to come from himself but also from Williams. Under Vowles diligent management, Williams is a work in progress, and Albon – driven by his ambition of becoming a genuine race winner in F1 – is committed to helping the team move up the order.
When asked how he would balance his own near-term aspirations with his team's perhaps longer-term endeavor, Albon said: "That’s it, it’s a balance!"
"You say I’m young, but I’m not young! I’m actually 27. Which sounds young! In an F1 context it’s not that young. It’s actually near to my peak.
"I would say there’s a good balance between you driving at your best and the experience and the knowledge you have. You’ve got to weigh that [thought] up with how I’m fully invested in this team in terms of bringing this team up forwards.
"It is a longer-term contract. So as long as the progress is there, then this is going to be a long-term thing.
"But at the same time, you have to also realise, I do feel like I’m driving at my best, I do think I have more to give. I still want to score podiums, I still want to win races.
"My focus is on making sure Williams is that team. But beyond that, if for whatever reason it does become difficult, you do naturally have to look elsewhere.
"Of course, the focus is on the team and let’s see what happens in a few years’ time."
Albon's tenure with Red Bull Racing did not end to the satisfaction of either team of driver.
The Anglo-Thai racer's lack of consistency and inability to race on a par with his teammate Max Verstappen ultimately decided the team's top brass to swap the former with Sergio Perez.
While disappointing, that experience hasn't discouraged Albon from joining a top team should such an opportunity come knocking on his door in the future. But his present focus is on Williams.
"I’m more experienced. I feel like I’m a much better driver than I was when I had the first opportunity at a top team," he contended. "In that way, I’m not afraid of that at all.
"The focus is on Williams and making sure we bring this team up to the front. And then let’s see what happens.
"I want to go forward and the team wants to progress, I’m sure the team also in some ways understands if there is another avenue to go down, they wouldn’t hold me back for a long time.
"So that is [something] to consider. I know what you mean by that. But you’ve got to back yourself regardless."
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