The joke of 2020
The history of Formula 1 is often made up of sliding doors. The one that changed Alex Albon’s career arrived in Austria on July 5, 2020, when Formula 1 returned to the track for the first time after the nightmare of the pandemic. The then Red Bull driver was third with ten laps to go and could count on fresh tires in a race that was restarting behind the Safety Car. Then came the attempt to overtake Lewis Hamilton, the contact and the exit in the gravel. It was the first GP of that season, but it can be said that the Thai’s adventure in Milton Keynes ended there: unable to regain the right confidence to obtain important results alongside Max Verstappen, Albon was ‘relegated’ in 2021 to role of third guide.
The Montreal Masterpiece
Fast forward three years and we arrive today: Albon has been a Williams driver for two seasons now and arrives at the Red Bull Ring on the strength of a splendid performance obtained in the Canadian GP. The #23 from the Grove team actually finished seventh, reviving the hopes of the historic British team of not ending the season in last place in the Constructors’ standings. It’s not the first time that, while driving for the most struggling team on the entire grid, Albon manages to highlight his qualities. So much so that even the top management of Red Bull – with whom relations have remained very good – have once again become aware of him.
Comments from Horner and Marko
Christian Horner, team principal of the world champion team, admitted in Canada that he watched Albon’s feat with Williams “as much as I watched our race”. Helmut Marko, usually never tender with his drivers – whether they are owners or ‘ex’ – explained that in his adventure with Red Bull Albon he had “a lot of bad luck”. These compliments have intertwined with the classic market rumors, which often crop up during the summer and which this time also have the young Thai among the protagonists. However, the person concerned, while admitting the frequent exchanges of messages with Horner, seems to have sworn allegiance to Williams.
“I stay here”
“Christian [Horner] he writes to me when I do well – he declared on Thursday at a press conference in Spielberg – and it’s nice when you remain in friendship with your ex boss. But now I’m fully focused on Williams. For me this is a long-term project. I hope to stay here for a long time. I really enjoy working with the team, I feel we are progressing and I want to be part of it all. We’ll see how the next few years go, but at the moment I’m very happy with where I am.”
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