Alex Albon has earned the rarest of commodities in Formula 1; stability, through his performances at Williams this year.
The Thai/British driver was announced as Nicholas Latifi's team-mate off of the back of George Russell's move to Mercedes towards the end of last season and he's settled in quickly, with him scoring four points for the Grove outfit thus far in 2022.
Indeed, there was little shock when news broke that Albon had earned a multi-year deal with Williams earlier this season which will see him, he'll hope, develop even further as a driver in a team that is looking to build themselves back into one of the leading forces on the grid.
Signs of progress at Williams
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW44 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
That will take time, but Albon is clearly buying into the project, with him telling Give Me Sport exclusively, before suffering appendicitis at Monza, that he has seen the signs of progress displaying themselves over the course of the year:
"We started off in Barcelona and Bahrain winter testing and it was clear that we were a little bit on the back foot with just the way that we had to invest and focus on this year, and the team was investing slightly more in infrastructure and things like that, rather than the car itself, so it wasn't enjoyable.
"The first few races, we obviously had moments where we were okay but as you can see, throughout the year, we've made some great steps forward with this new package. We've been very good at optimising the car with strategy in qualifying and we may score points in tricky circumstances. So yeah, it's going well.
"I mean, even if you just look very recently, at Zandvoort, it really wasn't a track that should have suited us and we qualify P15 which was a great effort and the race pace was actually pretty strong so the progress is there.
"Of course, it's a bit trickier this year with the budget cap and you can't just throw things at every race weekend and see if it works or not, you have to be very selective."
Stability with a new contract
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 27: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW44 Mercedes on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 27, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Indeed, the progress Williams are showing was enough to help convince Albon to sign a new deal, and he's also looking forward to playing a part in really helping develop the car, now he knows where his future lies:
"It's great when you sign something long-term with a team. There's a lot more involvement in the steps for next year because you've really got to think what can we do to the car? What areas do we need to focus on, which we can't necessarily just do for these next few races [of 2022]? And really think about the big steps going forward into next.
"Something I think every driver chases is just stability and what you're doing is a tough sport. We know that there are only obviously 20 seats in Formula 1, so you're always fighting for a job. There's obviously a pressure and a feeling like you want to not have that weight on your shoulders.
One of the first things on my list was always to make sure, when I came back into F1, that I stayed in F1.
"One of the first things on my list was always to make sure, when I came back into F1, that I stayed in F1. That's honestly really one of the first things you actually think about. It's great that obviously that's happened now and that feeling of you know, 'what's going to happen in the future,' you've got a bit of time to worry about it."
Experience playing a key part
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: Alexander Albon of Thailand and Williams walks in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Albon is clearly relishing the thought of really being involved in building a team and a car and helping it evolve now he has that security, which is something he's not really had up until this point in the sport. Indeed, the extra experience he has gained both from being on the grid and simply getting that little bit older, he believes, is going to help him help Williams make further progress:
"I'd say when you're a driver it's not so much about building the team around you and whatever but it's much more about experience. As a young driver, you can't really say, this is the direction we need to go in, this is what we need in the car, because you don't really know. And that takes time to truly understand that. The more experience you get, the more understanding you have of the cars and what you need to go faster, and that's when you can be confident in what you're saying and that's when the team will also follow you.
"You see that with age you just understand things more and, of course, you mature as a person. My first year in F1 and second year in F1, you're kind of not really saying much, because you're trying to get the best out of yourself, and you're still trying to learn everything. And let's say this year feels a little bit more like, I definitely don't know everything, but I know much more than I did. And I can be strong, and I can be confident in my decision-making. "
Time at Red Bull playing its part
AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Alexander Albon of Thailand and Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Albon feels as though he's growing in confidence and in conviction when giving advice to the team, and it's also clear his experience of driving for both the then-Toro Rosso team and Red Bull has also helped him, in terms of gauging different cars' strengths and weaknesses:
"It definitely helps to have experience with another car. It's honestly maybe something which people don't realise, but driving different cars really helps broaden your scope on what cars can do; why is it that some cars are quick or not? And it's very clear to me very quickly what are the strengths and the weaknesses of our car and what areas we need to focus on.
"And getting that experience from another team and seeing how it feels differently, it's much harder if you've been in one team for your whole life because you kind of don't know the other possibilities of what a car can do or feel like so it definitely plays a part."
Up next for Albon is Singapore next weekend as the Formula 1 season resumes after a few weeks away since the Italian Grand Prix.
He'll be looking forward to getting back on track there as well, after what was obviously a difficult period for him away from the circuit in Italy.
A driver that has grown in both experience and maturity this season, meanwhile, it's great to hear and see how confident he is now in himself, and that has been reflected in his performances for Williams this year.
You feel this campaign is only the start of a really positive chapter in his F1 career.