# Alexander Albon — 2024 season

Source: https://www.thef1formula.com/seasons/alex-albon-2024
Last updated: 2026-07-01

> Alexander Albon's 2024 season with Williams was a challenging campaign defined by a car often on the periphery of the points, punctuated by strong qualifying efforts and a high number of DNFs.

Alexander Albon's 2024 Formula 1 season with Williams was a testament to his persistent extraction of performance from a challenging car, marked by a handful of crucial points finishes amidst significant reliability and incident-related setbacks.

## Going in

Williams entered the 2024 season, firmly within the ground-effect era, with the broader field demonstrating a closer competitive spread than in the previous two years. Alexander Albon, having consistently delivered for the team since his return, was once again positioned as their primary driver for points-scoring opportunities. The FW46, while showing flashes of potential, was anticipated to operate in the lower midfield, making any points finish a hard-earned result. Albon's role was clear: maximize every session, particularly qualifying, to position the car for any race-day fortune.

## How it played out

The early phase of the season saw Albon consistently battling outside the points, with finishes like 15th in Bahrain, 11th in Saudi Arabia, and 11th in Australia. The car's inherent pace often meant qualifying efforts, such as a P12 in Jeddah or P12 in Melbourne, were difficult to convert into top-ten race results. The first points arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Albon qualified 9th and maintained that position to secure 2 points. This performance underscored his adeptness on street circuits. Subsequent points followed at the British Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix, both yielding 9th place finishes and 2 points each. His strongest performance came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he finished 7th, adding 6 points to his tally. However, the season was also significantly impacted by a high rate of retirements, with Albon recording 7 DNFs. These included collisions in Japan, Canada, and Mexico, a withdrawal in Imola due to a chassis issue, overheating in Singapore, and mechanical failures (turbo in Las Vegas, car damage in São Paulo qualifying). These incidents, whether racing-related or mechanical, frequently curtailed potential race runs and point-scoring chances.

## Defining moments

The Monaco Grand Prix provided an early highlight, where Albon's P9 finish from a P9 grid slot demonstrated the car's specific strengths on tight, low-speed circuits and his ability to hold position under pressure. This was a crucial early validation. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix stood out as Albon's best result, a P7 finish that showcased his capacity to capitalize on race chaos and strategic opportunities, bringing home the largest single points haul for Williams in 2024. Conversely, the São Paulo Grand Prix, where he was unable to start the race due to "Car damaged in qualifying," epitomized the fragility and operational challenges that plagued the team. Such setbacks, alongside the numerous other DNFs, meant that despite strong individual qualifying efforts, translating that into consistent race-day performance was an uphill battle. For context, other drivers also faced significant challenges in competitive machinery, as seen in [Pierre Gasly's 2019 season](/seasons/pierre-gasly-2019) with Red Bull.

## What it meant

Alexander Albon concluded the 2024 season in 16th position in the [Formula 1 Drivers' Championship](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/driver-standings.html), accumulating 12 points. He was responsible for all of Williams' points scored throughout the year, a clear indicator of his contribution to the team. Despite the car's limitations and the high number of DNFs, Albon consistently extracted performance, often qualifying the car higher than its typical race pace. His season highlighted a driver who, much like [Pierre Gasly in his 2020 season](/seasons/pierre-gasly-2020) with AlphaTauri, can maximize a midfield package. The challenges faced by Williams, including reliability and race-day performance, meant Albon often found himself in defensive races rather than attacking for higher positions. The data from the season, available through various [F1 season data archives](https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/2026.json), underscores the competitive landscape of the ground-effect era, where even small margins can dictate significant championship swings. His ability to score points in four separate races, including a P7, reinforces his value to the team as they navigate the complexities of the current [Formula One regulations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One). The season, while not delivering podiums or wins, solidified Albon's reputation as a resilient and skilled competitor, even when facing significant adversity, a situation not unfamiliar to drivers like [Pierre Gasly during his 2023 season](/seasons/pierre-gasly-2023) with Alpine.