Fernando Alonso is a complex character to unravel. The Spaniard has made a name out for himself in the sport being the ‘villain‘. However, more often than not, he shows us a glimpse of his other side: the friendly two-time world champion.
One instance that sticks out in the mind of Alex Albon is the time when Alonso promoted his brand ‘Alex Albon Athletics‘ during the Singapore GP. The Aston Martin driver reached out to the Thai driver for a pair of his shoes and promptly went on to flaunt it before the whole world.
Fernando Alonso in Alex Albon’s shoes!! Which driver is he going to collect next? pic.twitter.com/65UqOMVOPi
— leo (@formuleo_) September 16, 2023
In the beginning, Albon thought against giving a pair each to the drivers as he thought it would be too “cringey”. But to his surprise, Alonso approached him himself and asked if he could have a pair.
Albon narrated, “Got big man, Fernando to rep the shoes!” The Williams driver beamed as he explained how happy he was to see Alonso go out of his way to ask for a pair and then post a picture of him donning them on his Instagram handle.
Alex Albon’s side hustle is also one of his greatest passions
Apart from Formula 1, Alex Albon is a huge sneaker fan. Hence, when the opportunity came knocking, the 27-year-old decided to set up his own lifestyle and fashion brand, ‘Alex Albon Athletics’. As the name suggests, it’s his own merchandising brand focused mainly on sneakers.
Talking about how this idea came about, he told Tatler, “It was a spontaneous thing. I love shoes, especially sneakers, and I’m guilty of buying a lot of them. A friend of mine, who’s also a racing driver, started a fashion and lifestyle business, and I thought it sounded fun.”
Yuki showing the other drivers his shoes from Alex Albon Athletics pic.twitter.com/XulPOezzmm
— leo (@formuleo_) September 15, 2023
While Albon is undoubtedly one of the best drivers on the grid, he has also made efforts to focus on his sneaker business as well. “We made a high-quality, unisex shoe which I knew I would want to wear every day. We used suede, which is known for its soft texture, around the heel and the tongue to make the shoe feel easy-going—sort of like me—and also included little details like a peace sign and my racing logo,” he added.
Moreover, Williams have also had a huge role to play in marketing his brand. Albon revealed that the time helped him “release the shoe in Singapore via popup stores,” while his pets became willing brand ambassadors, too.
