George Russell has said he thinks Alex Albon has done an 'exceptional' job with Williams this year but that it is no surprise given the talent that he possesses.

Albon arrived at Williams at the start of the season and actually replaced Russell, who made a widely-expected move to Mercedes for 2022.

Both have settled into their new teams well this season, too, with Russell finishing every race inside the top 5 so far this year, and Albon regularly maximising the performance of his Williams and getting a handful of points on the board too.

Certainly, it's been good to see Albon driving so well after a tough period with Red Bull and it serves as a reminder of the talent that he has behind the wheel.

Russell, though, is not surprised by the work he has seen from him:

“I think Alex has done an exceptional job.

“There was obviously no secret, he had a tough time at Red Bull, but I think all of us, even probably Max [Verstappen] included, knew how talented Alex was.

“We’ve all raced each other since 2011.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 08: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 leads Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW44 Mercedes during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at the Miami International Autodrome on May 08, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

“Alex was a few years older than us, so he was sort of competing against [Nyck] De Vries at the time in KF1 I remember.

“And he’s always been there, he’s always been one of the very best. So it’s no surprise to me and [I’m] happy to see that he’s back in Formula 1 and, I think, has cemented his position."

Both drivers are having fine seasons so far and they'll be looking for that to continue in Azerbaijan this weekend as F1 heads to Baku.