After the Canadian GP, Christian Horner admitted that he was more interested in watching Alex Albon race than watching his own drivers compete. Even though Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished ahead of the Williams driver, Horner seemed to be awed by how Albon performed.
Albon’s performance in Canada on Sunday was arguably his best so far this season or probably of his career. With an impressive P7 finish in an inferior Williams car, praises poured in from all over.
In particular, fans and pundits were shocked to see how brilliantly he kept his rivals at bay while leading the DRS train in the midfield. The Thai driver started the race from P9, and his stunning performance saw him finish two places above. As a result, fans voted for him to be the driver of the day.
Christian Horner’s unlikely praise for Alex Albon
The former Red Bull driver, who had everything but a good exit from the team, now saw his former boss praising him. He also talked about watching his race over his former teammate Max Verstappen or the driver who replaced him, Sergio Perez’s race.
P7???? 🇨🇦 A MASSIVE thank you to the team & everyone back at the factory for all the hard work and time that was put into getting the upgrades ready for this weekend. That was fun ✌️@WilliamsRacing pic.twitter.com/yRY1VP2D5O
— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) June 18, 2023
Speaking about this in the post-race interview, the British boss said, “Well, I mean Alex well, congrats to him. Well, I did watch as much of his races as our races.”
Albon’s, Horner and Red Bull affair
Albon was in Toro Rosso when he got a sudden break into the main Red Bull team during the mid-2019 season. The Thai driver was brought into the team with huge hopes after Pierre Gasly failed to prove himself alongside Max Verstappen.
However, the current Williams driver also failed to show much potential despite huge expectations. After spending the 2019 season on transition, the 2020 season hasn’t been great for the Thai man as well.
With just two podiums in 17 races and P7 in the driver’s championship, he was massively left behind by Verstappen. Despite having huge backing, Alex Albon ultimately had to leave the Red Bull seat after active pressure from Horner and Helmut Marko at the end of the 2020 season.
In doing so, he paved the way for Sergio Perez and went a year without a seat. Ultimately, Albon came back after replacing the outgoing George Russell, who moved to Mercedes.
