Alexander Albon needed his reset moment, just like Daniel Ricciardo
Alexander Albon says that stepping away from F1 allows for regaining lost confidence. The Williams driver notes that the break that Daniel Ricciardo underwent has been beneficial for him.
Daniel Ricciardo returned to F1 after 7 months without being in a cockpit. The driver, who had been dismissed by McLaren after the recruitment of another Australian, Oscar Piastri, regained his confidence to return to the F1 grid.
The Williams driver, Alexander Albon, experienced the same situation. The Thai driver had left F1 at the end of the 2020 season, as he was replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull, and he made a comeback in the paddock behind the wheel of a Williams car a season and a half later, after a stint in DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters).
For the 27-year-old man, this sabbatical year has allowed him to regain confidence. A similar situation has been beneficial for Daniel Ricciardo.
« It’s certain. I had a sabbatical year, he had a little less, but I truly think that this sabbatical year helped me. When things are not going well and all you do is jump from one race to another, you’re not really able to think and understand what’s happening, you’re kind of in the washing machine » explains Alexander Albon.
« It is important to be able to reflect and improve, but it is also a good thing to have free time and be able to mentally recharge. » Keep going with number 23.
The break allowed the Thai driver to do a reset, which gave him the confidence to recover after encountering difficulties behind the wheel of the Red Bull.
« Resetting is very important, you start to lose a bit of confidence and having time outdoors rids you of demons in some ways. I enjoyed my time in DTM because I was driving something a little different. But it gave me confidence in a different way, as I was still driving a race car,” explains Max Verstappen’s former teammate.
The Thai driver who impresses behind the wheel of his Williams claims that confidence is needed to drive an F1 car: « You always have to be confident behind the wheel of this type of car and the DTM gave me that. Then, I felt that when I came back to my first winter tests with Williams, I immediately felt more confident than before. »
« Just by seeing Daniel and seeing the buzz he has, I think it also happened to him » acknowledged racer Williams.
