George Russell has praised the “exceptional job” done by Alex Albon since joining Williams.
The current Mercedes driver is close friends with Albon and was a big supporter of the Grove-based team signing him as his replacement for this season.
So far, the London-born Thai driver has delivered with two points finishes in Australia and Miami, producing the kind of performances Russell himself did during his three years at Williams.
“Alex has done an exceptional job,” George said via Motorsport Week.
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“I think there was obviously no secret he had a tough time at Red Bull but I think all of us, even probably Max [Verstappen] included, just knew how talented Alex was.
“We’ve all raced each other since 2011. Alex was a few years older than us.
“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 think happy to see he’s back in Formula 1 and that he has cemented his position.”
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— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 4, 2022
Albon himself admits his mindset coming back to F1 after a year away was about showing just how good he is.
“Going into this year I wanted to prove people wrong,” he told Reuters back in Spain. “I wanted to show my fortitude and show people, I guess, redemption really.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve been able to drive a car quickly and now I feel given another chance with more experience and a bit more knowledge about the global side of Formula 1, and that comes from everything.
“A lot of what I was doing [at Red Bull last year] was on the simulator and communicating with the engineers in understanding very simply what makes the car quick, and so it is a feeling like I’ve come into this year prepared and in a better place mentally as well than I was in 2020.
“At the same time, I also feel like 2020 gets a bit more flak than it [deserves]. It was a tough year of course but when I look at it now, with the hindsight I do have, I was very inexperienced at that time.”