Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: The car worked well today and both drivers were excellent. Alex showed great skill in attack and defence whilst also managing his tyres very well. Logan too showed good race craft and was able to build on his race in Austria to deliver another impressive performance. It is frustrating for him to finish 11th, but his first Formula 1 Championship point is getting ever closer.
The start of the race was tricky with the showers passing to the west of the circuit leading to a few drops of rain and a gusty wind. Driving was difficult during this period and tyre degradation appeared high. However, once the weather calmed down, we were able to show good pace and measure the true tyre degradation. The Pirelli’s held up very well such that a 1-stop race using Soft and Medium tyres was possible. The safety car further improved the competitiveness of this strategy and helped the drivers who chose to avoid the Hard tyre for their final stint. This allowed Alex to complete a brilliant pass on [Carlos] Sainz to take an excellent 8th place. Some characteristic defensive driving on the final lap ensured that he held the place against an attacking [Charles] Leclerc.
The team has worked very hard to deliver an effective upgrade package to the car. The first parts of that package arrived in Canada and the new front wing debuted this weekend on Alex’s car. The points that we have scored over recent events is testament to that effort and expertise.
Alex Albon: It was a great weekend. When you think about the speed of the car, P8 this week is the worst position from all of our sessions this weekend. We expected the race to be a bit more difficult with Fernando [Alonso] and Checo [Perez] behind us. I struggled a little at the start as I didn’t have much grip. Once I was in the rhythm of the race, we were ok, we actually felt quite good with the car. The Safety Car came out at a perfect time. The Ferraris were on the hard compounds and I was able to get past Carlos [Sainz]. It was a tricky race. I had better pace than Fernando which was a bit of a surprise but then Charles [Leclerc] was coming quite quickly at the end. It was a race of one eye forward and one eye back which became a bit of a dog fight. I wouldn’t have wanted that race to last one more lap.
It’s quite clear that tracks where there’s a bit lower downforce and a lot of full throttle time, that’s all us. It’s also important that the track remains quite cool which today the track temp was dropping at the end of the race which made us a bit more competitive. We’re now P7 in the Constructors’ Championship tied with Haas, so we’re in a very good place. The points aren’t always available so we need to make sure that in the few races where we can score points, we capitalise on them.
Logan Sargeant: I’m pleased with the last two weekends. The progression has been good, and I feel like I’m getting more comfortable. I’m starting to drive the car the way it actually needs to be driven. It’s all coming to me. The team has been great in supporting me, pushing me and trying to help me out as much as they can. We had a great car today. It was the best race I’ve felt all season in terms of car performance as well as pace. A bit unlucky when the Safety Car came out one lap after I pitted, that hurt a little bit. It’s still a good day and to have Alex score points for the team is amazing and shows we have a car that can fight.
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