"A remarkable approach" - Pirelli boss praises Alex Albon and Williams for unseen F1 strategy during Australian GP

Alex Albon drove a sensational race at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix last weekend and managed a tenth-place finish from the back of the grid after driving 57 laps on the same set of hard C2 tires.

Within forty laps, the Williams driver found himself all the way up in seventh place and chose to switch tires on the penultimate lap for the mandatory pit stop, a strategy that Pirelli's Head of F1 & Car Racing Mario Isola claims he has never witnessed before.

As reported by PlanetF1, Isola praised Alex Albon's efforts:

“This is the first time in 12 years I have seen a strategy like this, where a car runs from the start on the same set of tires for the entire race. A remarkable approach.

When asked whether such a strategy may be expected by others in the future, Isola responded:

"It depends on the load on the tyre, and the Safety Car helped of course. Williams were able to make the best use of the tyre, with good speed. This is important information. With the lower temperature of the tyre-warmers and this new range of compounds, tyre heating is a potential problem. Also, the first laps after a Safety Car restart are more difficult because you have to warm up the tyre in the right way. This is really quite remarkable. I’m still scratching my head as to how this is possible!"

Alex Albon's tenth-place finish at Albert Park marked the first championship point that Williams has scored all season.

"We took risks" - Alex Albon on Williams' strategy at the 2022 Australian GP

Alex Albon started the Australian Grand Prix from the back of the grid after receiving a three-place penalty from qualifying and revealed that the team was not expecting to make it any higher than eighteenth in the race.

In a post-race interaction, Albon said:

“It was a race where we took risks and really allowed our tyres to get into a nice window, and from then they just felt better and better. I was putting in what felt like continuous qualifying laps for the last 25 laps of the race!"

Speaking of the contributions of the team as a whole, he added:

“For me, it really highlights the work that’s been done at the factory and at the track; this is the result of the team’s determination and motivation. It’s been a great day and I’m really happy to have played my part in this for the team.”

The glorious tenth-place finish was a result of well-timed risks and strategies employed by Williams and some exceptional racing by the Thai driver.