Williams is making one of the best investments of its career in Alex Albon, considering that he has propelled the team to the seventh position in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with just a few million dollars this year.

The top drivers in Formula One receive massive salaries, while Albon Williams offers excellent performance at a deeply discounted cost.

Albon’s value is clear because each spot in the standings is worth roughly $10 million to the teams (a precise amount won’t be known until F1’s final 2023 revenues are totaled).

Throughout the season, he was the best driver among the four teams vying for the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth positions. He scored 27 of Williams’ 28 points. Throughout the entire grid, he was among the season’s best performers.

Albon’s value is simple to determine because the Williams was, on average pace, the eighth or ninth-fastest car (the position fluctuates depending on whether you calculate it using only qualifying times or the supertimes approach based on the fastest single lap of the weekend used by The Race).

Most people would have projected Williams to finish last for a second straight year, given the roughly $30 million gap between tenth and seventh place in the championship. And if Albon hadn’t given his performances, it could have worked.

Though he doesn’t like to brag about his accomplishments, the 27-year-old is understandably thrilled with his campaign.

When questioned by The Race how much of a personal accomplishment Williams’s seventh place finish meant for him, Albon responded, “I’m very proud of my performance.”

“I’m not the most conceited guy, but I’ll give myself credit—I think this season has been really powerful for me. I believed that the majority of my races weren’t easy; instead, they were contests in which we engaged in constant combat.

However, I enjoy it and believe that’s the environment in which I flourish. This year has been my best in Formula 1. My relationship with the team has been incredibly beneficial to that, and I believe it’s the reason we’ve been able to perform so well in the races.