Mental health and maintaining self-confidence are crucial in Formula 1. Drivers need mental toughness as much as they need physical strength. With only 20 elite athletes in the sport, they are constantly judged against each other. The fear of losing their job is ever-present. Recently, Alex Albon shared his thoughts on managing these challenges.
Before the British Grand Prix, Cosmopolitan had an exclusive interview with the British-Thai driver. They asked him about dealing with mental health issues during the season.
“Mental health is a big talking point in Formula 1,” said Albon. “I have a psychologist who I work with closely. There are little things like that, and it’s just life experience too. As I’ve gotten older, just matured more, it’s naturally been much easier to cope with the stresses of what I do.”
Albon then also spoke about building a team around himself to cope with the stress of being a Formula 1 driver. He explained,
“What’s really important is building a team around you that creates a bubble, and you trust and feel that support around. That now is your core group, and you work between each other, bounce off each other, and ignore the world around you. So I have a team inside of a team, basically“.
Recently, Lando Norris also discussed his mental health ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. During the FIA Press Conference, Norris explained how he accepts help and seeks advice from different people, including his boss, Zak Brown, his dad, his mom, and friends.
This support system helps him deal with both good and bad times. Speaking of bad times, Albon has also faced his fair share of those moments during his early years in Formula 1.
Albon called his time with Red Bull toxic
At Red Bull, Albon struggled to match his then-teammate, Max Verstappen. Albon’s sub-par performances led to him receiving immense criticism. In an interview last year, he described his time at Red Bull as toxic.
“Not at all,” Albon said on the High-Performance Podcast when asked if he enjoyed his stint with Red Bull. “I was struggling with the attention around it. I deleted all my socials. It was very toxic—the mocking, the quotes, becoming a laughing joke, a meme.”
“Were you enjoying being a Red Bull driver?”
“Not at all. No. I was struggling I think, I was struggling with the attention around it. I deleted all my socials. It was very toxic, the mocking, the quotes, the becoming a laughing joke, a meme.”
Oh Alex pic.twitter.com/odSDSbJ6wL
— leo on loan to Aston Martin (@formuleo_) November 23, 2023
However, Albon seems to have found the right environment at Williams. The team values his services, which is reflected in his strong performances despite not having the best car. This supportive environment has helped him thrive and manage the pressures of being a Formula 1 driver.
