Alex Albon lost out on his Red Bull seat in 2021. The team signed Sergio Perez, thinking he was a better fit, and adding to his woes, Albon could not even join AlphaTauri, because they got Yuki Tsunoda. Eventually, Helmut Marko ordered Albon to coach Tsunoda and help him get settled into F1. The Thai-British driver, however, said that he wasn’t going to do so.
Albon had enough reasons to say no to Marko, even tho latter ‘compelled’ him to. The Japanese driver was the direct rival to Albon, because the latter desperately wanted to get back to racing in F1, and AlphaTauri was his best chance.
Speaking about this, Albon revealed during the High-Performance Podcast show,
“I remember having the chat with Helmut Marko. He told me at the time that you need to driver coach this guy. I was like, I’m not going to, that’s a potential seat. He said no, he’s already signed, like he’s guaranteed. I was like okay.”
Albon never returned to racing for Red Bull, or AlphaTauri for that matter. His failure to match Verstappen in 2020, led to Perez joining the team. Thereafter, he moved to Williams.
Tsunoda on the other hand, came to F1 with a lot of good reputation. He was good in F2, and Honda backed him – two factors that helped him get to AlphaTauri. He struggled a bit in his first two seasons, but has now established himself as a strong driver.
Albon, however, does not seem like he misses Red Bull at the moment. He is comfortably handling the pressure of being the lead driver at Williams.
Alex Albon’s story with Williams
Alex Albon joined the Williams in 2022 and immediately showed signs of just how talented he is. Replacing George Russell was never going to be easy, but it is fair to say that Albon has done a spectacular job so far, being at the helm of the team’s project of revival.
The former Red Bull driver excelled on the track and not only impressed the team’s higher-ups but also attracted a lot of attention from rival teams.
He was so impressive that Red Bull even considered taking Albon back as a replacement for Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri until they got Daniel Ricciardo back. Albon, however, didn’t want to leave Williams.
“Truthfully, I think you see it already now, where my main focus is with this team,” Albon said concerning his Red Bull links. Albon’s current contract with Williams lasts till the end of the 2024 F1 season. Whether he chooses to stay and lead the team, or decides to join a faster outfit is yet to be seen.
