‘Angry’ Albon lashes out at Williams team after Dutch GP Q3 miss

As one of the most even-tempered drivers on the grid, Alex Albon is rarely one to lose his cool. But the Williams driver’s frustration boiled over after Saturday’s Dutch Grand Prix qualifying.

The Anglo-Thai racer will start Sunday’s race from 15th on the grid after a tyre temperature problem derailed his chances of progressing to Q3 – and he made clear just how costly it had been.

Albon, who had shown top-10 pace all weekend, was left fuming at a costly pitlane delay that compromised his crucial Q2 lap, and he adamant that the Williams had the pace to reach the final qualifying shootout, as his teammate Carlos Sainz clearly demonstrated.

"I think in every lap we've done this weekend, when we've been on track, we've been in the top 10 most of the time," he explained.

"We were quite comfortably in the top 10 in Q1, and we were quite comfortably in the top 10 in Q2 run one. And then basically when we came out of the garage there was a... I must have been waiting for about two and a half minutes to get out the pitlane.”

That delay, he said, destroyed his preparation for the crucial second run of Q2.

Cold Tyres, No Chance

"By the time we got out of the pitlane, all the people that came out of the pitlane before were on their push laps. So then you do a slow out-lap because you have to let all the cars pass who are on the push lap,” he added.

“By the time that happens, you go into Turn 1 and the tyres are absolutely nowhere. You cannot do anything honestly.”

Albon stressed that Williams’ performance window with tyre temperatures is already narrower than most rivals, making clean out-laps vital.

"We know we're on the back foot in terms of our window. To get the tyres to work is narrower than other teams. I think you see that Carlos was struggling in Q1.

“I was okay in Q1, and then we've seen it in so many tracks we've gone to this year so far. If we don't get our clean out-lap, we're nowhere. I think our out-lap is normally around this track, so far this weekend, has been about 10-15 seconds a lap quicker than the people around us.

"And my Q2 run two out-lap was maybe 20-25 seconds slower than my normal out-lap. So you can imagine that normally doesn't go well when you go into Turn 1."

“Obviously, I’m angry in the moment”

The normally calm and composed Williams driver admitted that his irritation was difficult to suppress after qualifying.

"It's just frustrating because it doesn't make it easy,” he said. “It doesn't make it easy for us in many ways because obviously, I'm angry in the moment.

“But as a strategist, when your window is a bit smaller than everyone else's, to get the clean air and to get the right space on track is very difficult.

“And I feel for us. I think we basically need to figure out the tyres first. That's the main issue and then everything else will come easier. That's where the frustration is."

Despite the setback, Albon was convinced he should have joined team-mate Carlos Sainz – who qualified ninth – in Q3.

"Carlos has been good all weekend. And I think that's where the car is. I'm pretty confident I would be in Q3 if I didn't have the cold tyres for the Q2 run. That's just how it is."

Albon’s frustration may have been raw, but it reflected a deeper issue: Williams’ Achilles heel with tyre preparation. Until that puzzle is solved, his fight to consistently match the car’s potential looks set to remain a weekly struggle.

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