There is a lot of excitement among the F1 community’s British contingent. For the first in many years, the sport has become extremely competitive with four teams fighting for podiums regularly. This is exciting specifically for the Brits as McLaren and Mercedes are among the four teams, with both teams having three British drivers in total – Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, and George Russell.
Based on recent results and output from said drivers, there are high expectations of an all-British podium at the Britsh GP. However, according to Thai-British driver Alex Albon, Max Verstappen will foil these plans.
Despite the current superiority of McLaren and Mercedes’ recent uptick in performances, Verstappen has consistently been winning races. When his car has been falling short, the Dutchman’s been covering up with a touch of individual brilliance. This is exactly why the Williams man poured cold water on the dream podium scenario at Silverstone.
In a Sky Sports F1 YouTube video, he said, “You have a Dutch guy who might have something to do with it. If he has a DNF, I think it’s very much on but you need to dispose of him first.”
“You have a Dutch guy…”
Does Alex Albon think we can see an all British podium this weekend? pic.twitter.com/XdkQtEKJgI
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 3, 2024
It’s been 56 years since the world of F1 saw a race podium conquered by the Brits. It came at the 1968 US Grand Prix when Jackie Stewart won the race at Watkins Glen with Graham Hill and John Surtees rounding out the podium.
Since then, this is the first realistic opportunity but the Red Bull man will be a thorn in the sights of all Brits on and off the track. However, sometime in the future, even Albon would want to take part in this collective effort to destabilize Verstappen’s dominance.
Albon reveals his desire to shine in front of his part home fans
Even though Albon has pledged his allegiance to the Thai flag, he’s still part British from his father’s side. In fact, he gets his racing DNA from his father’s British Touring Championship past. Keeping the English side of him alive, he confessed, “I could say if I could win Silverstone, it would mean a lot.”
Winning at his partially home race and not just because of his heritage but also because of the circuit’s prestige in the sport. Because of his associations with Williams, it’s not a possibility at the moment. However, the ambitious trajectory the veteran English team is on, it might become a realistic possibility in the 2026 season.
The Grove-based outfit seems to be on the rise and is extremely ambitious internally. They’re confident the team will be back to its old competitive self after the reset in 2026. The regulation changes always give one team an advantage over the rest and also shake up the order a bit. So, it can be Williams who benefit from that shake-up to some extent in ’26.
