Albon praises Verstappen: “He made me feel like I was driving a bus!
Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull for a season and a half, Alex Albon is well positioned to speak about the race approach of the reigning world champion. It's an approach that the current Williams driver would like to draw inspiration from.
During the summer break of the 2019 season, Red Bull made a big announcement by replacing Pierre Gasly with Toro Rosso rookie, Thai driver Alex Albon. It was a rapid ascent for the London-born driver, who was thrust into a top team with only twelve Formula 1 Grand Prix races under his belt. With eight top-six finishes in nine races, Albon did not disappoint in the second half of the season.
In 2020, the situation was more difficult. Despite finishing on the podium at the Tuscan and Bahrain Grand Prix, the Thai driver fell more than a hundred points behind his teammate Max Verstappen. This was too big of a gap for his employer, who decided to replace him with Sergio Pérez for the following season. This experience alongside the current reigning world champion sparked admiration for the Dutchman in Albon. This is what the Williams driver revealed in an interview with The MotorMouth Podcast.
I would say that Max is the most skilled driver I have raced with. It’s hard to compare with your teammate, but he drives as he speaks, there is no room for politics. He is very direct and very relaxed. People don’t know this side of him very well, but he is so relaxed that I would think to myself, “I wish I could be as relaxed as him.”
Albon also mentioned Verstappen’s driving style: « He is very precise in his driving. What he wants in his car is very different from what other drivers want. He wants a car that is extremely sharp in the corners. I have always wanted a car with a lot of front grip to be able to control it well. But next to Max, it felt like I was driving a bus! »
These statements will undoubtedly please the current leader of the championship, who is well on track to retain his title this year.
