A Look Back: Qatar

We recall Albono’s commendable Sprint performance in 2023

Published

28 Nov 2024

Est Reading Time

2 min

Alex’s previous visit to Qatar yielded two points for Williams, after an eye-catching display in last year’s Sprint.

Albono was making his first visit to the Lusail International Circuit — and things got off to a challenging start when he placed P17 in the Sprint Shootout.

But AA23 made a mockery of that starting position in the Sprint itself, despite initially dropping to P18 after losing a position to Yuki Tsunoda at Turn 1.

He soon regained that place before climbing above Kevin Magnussen on Lap 10, then passing Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly following a Safety Car stoppage.

With one lap to go, our Thai racer broke into the top eight by overtaking Fernando Alonso, but couldn’t outpace Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

There was good news following the race, however, as Leclerc was handed a five-second time penalty by the FIA — moving Albono up into P7.

Speaking after the race, Alex said: “We capitalised on everyone’s difficulties today and this resulted in a point, which is now two points following Charles’ penalty, so I’m very happy!

“We took a gamble with set-up, and we made it work, so I think it came down to good strategy and some good fortune.”

The main event didn’t prove to be quite as fruitful, as AA23 finished the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix in 13th place.

But it was nonetheless a successful maiden trip to Lusail for Alex, who will be looking to put points on the board once again at this year’s edition.