Albon executes DHL Fastest Pit Stop but misses out on points in Mexico

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the highest-altitude racetrack on the Formula 1 calendar at around 2,200 meters above sea level, so the cars were operating close to their thermal limits during the race, especially when running bunched up behind one another. And so, of course, Team Principal James Vowles was really pleased that both Williams cars got through the Mexican Grand Prix without any issues.

But, given their grid positions of 15th (Carlos Sainz) and 16th (Alex Albon), points were only possible with perfect execution, strategy, and a bit of luck, as overtaking is notoriously difficult on this circuit. Williams delivered a perfectly executed move during Albon’s first pit stop on lap 19 when the crew changed his tires in just 2.11 seconds.

However, the team opted for a two-stop strategy for Albon, which later proved to be a mistake, as the tires degraded less than expected. Race control initially deployed the virtual safety car on lap 40, after an accident involving Valtteri Bottas but then stopped the race altogether a little after that. The race restarted 40 minutes later, at which point, Albon put in a strong performance. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side in Mexico.

Despite penalties for Oscar Piastri and both Alpine drivers, Albon narrowly missed out on points, finishing eleventh. “It was a solid race for us,” said Albon, as he gave us his analysis. “The red flag brought us all back into it. I had a really good restart and gained quite a few positions which I tried to hold onto, but eventually Isack and Ryō overtook me. The pace was decent, all things considered, and the car felt pretty good, so overall I’m quite happy with the weekend.”