Williams in the News: Alex’s Points and Franco’s Debut

We left Italy with two more points to our name after Alex Albon masterfully managed his tyres to secure a P9 finish at the Temple of Speed.

It’s not the first time that our Thai racer has finished in the top 10 after successfully executing a one-stop, with Australia 2022 and Canada 2023 immediately jumping to our minds.

Edd Straw on The Race hailed Alex’s Qualifying performance as “outstanding” before going on to place him second in his driver rankings.

Whilst speaking with Formula1.com, our No23 explained that results like the one on Sunday are vital, expressing the “need to take these moments” as we head into the final eight races.

Meanwhile Franco Colapinto put in a performance that belied his inexperience at the Italian Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old finished P12 in his maiden Formula 1 race — climbing impressively from a P18 starting position.

Even before the weekend’s action, Franco’s impending appearance was generating a great deal of interest.

Formula1.com focused on why FC43 got the nod ahead of a host of other drivers, while The Race covered his pre-Monza press conference in some detail.

Motorsport and Autosport did likewise, with the latter picking up on a question comparing Franco with superstar footballer Lionel Messi.

And Franco’s commendable display in Sunday’s race was understandably greeted with enthusiasm by the Buenos Aires Herald and fellow Argentinian newspaper Olé — the sports daily focusing on James Vowles’ praise for his rookie driver.

Franco’s arrival into Formula 1 has also seen a swell in support from Argentinian businesses, with two new partnerships for Williams Racing: Buenos Aires-based software developers Globant and leading Latin American e-commerce company Mercado Libre.

These arrivals were covered in a number of publications, including SportBusiness and SportsMint.