Alexander Albon became a Red Bull driver, but due to his disappointing results, Sergio Pérez took over after the 2020 season, largely due to the inevitable comparison with his then teammate, Max Verstappen.
Speaking for the Formula 1 podcast ‘Beyond the Grid’ , he recalled his moments with Verstappen , and made a “perhaps strange comparison”, as Albon himself put it. “Let’s take Marc Márquez as an example in MotoGP, who has a very special riding style, it works for him and he’s fast with him, but it’s not easy to drive like that.”
“As long as he’s delivering, the team has no reason to think about other drivers. When you look at the data, it’s like, ‘Wow, look at that, and that, and that!’ Of course, Max is always on the limit. And he likes cars that go flat on the nose. He wants to have fun, but at the same time, that’s not easy for his teammate.”
“Checo noticed it last year too. And this year too… The new rules have changed the balance of the cars a bit and I think ‘Checo’ is doing a fantastic job. But Max is very talented and always wants to have the single-seater with a very specific set-up, and obviously that also makes it difficult for the others,” Albon explained.
However, the Dutch driver “is not arrogant at all,” the Thai driver clarified. For him, Verstappen is simply a “very simple partner. One of the most direct, to be honest. Now he has a high level of self-confidence, which is also logical when you are a champion, but he already had that before”.
“He never wants to be politically correct, not at all. He always lets his actions on court speak for themselves. People sometimes see him as arrogant, but I don’t think he is, not at all. He’s very determined, very hungry and knows what to do.” can and cannot do.
Albon no longer thinks about Red Bull and hopes to continue in F1 with Williams
Following his arrival at Williams in 2022, Albon has opened a new chapter in his career. Beside Nicholas Latifi, he has become the number 1 of the team in a short period of time and he hopes that this will continue to be the case: “I believe in this team and I see a great future, I want to be part of it”.
As for whether it cost him to sign for Williams after having been at one of the top teams on the grid, the Thai was candid: “It didn’t cost me much. They could have offered me any offer and I would definitely have said: ‘Yes, please, please.’ Thank you!’ would have been the answer.”
“[Williams] really loved me. It’s a team that’s not just thinking about next year, they’re making plans for five, six, seven years. The Williams owners are very clear about that and told me ‘we can achieve great things.’ . And that convinced me. It was simple,” Albon concluded.
Gallery: When F1 and MotoGP drivers swap for a day
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