Albon 'won't hold back' with Sargeant

Former Williams team principal and CEO Jost Capito has insisted Alex Albon will "not hold back" when supporting rookie Logan Sargeant.

The American will make his F1 debut next year alongside the former Red Bull driver after earning the required super licence points through finishing fourth in the F2 championship this past season as well as completing FP1 sessions for Williams.

The 21-year-old's performances earned him a step up to the highest echelon of single-seater racing to replace Canadian Nicholas Latifi, although Sargeant faces a steep test in acclimatising to F1 due to Williams' struggles at the back of the field.

In Albon, however, Sargeant will be greeted by a driver at the top of his game after a season where the Thai-British racer steered the difficult FW44 to numerous points finishes despite the congested midfield.

The performances were a reminder of Albon's talents after being unceremoniously dropped by Red Bull at the end of the 2020 season, leading to him spending a year on the sidelines as a development driver and coach for AlphaTauri's then-rookie Yuki Tsunoda.

Put to him that Albon would be influential, Capito, who has since left Williams, told GPFans in an end-of-season interview prior to his departure: “Yes, he appreciates Logan a lot and he has really welcomed Logan into the team.

“Alex is a guy who will give him all the support. He will not hold back.

"That again is a great fit and why we can take a rookie like Logan because we have a team leader who is willing to share his expertise.”

Additional reporting by Ewan Gale