Alex Albon’s current run of form with Williams has left former team boss Eddie Jordan so impressed, that he wants Red Bull to give him another chance. Albon had a far-from-impressive stint during his first run with the Milton Keynes team, which was what led to him getting removed. Still, Jordan feels that Albon has what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
In a recent episode of the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said,
“I have a real soft spot for Albon. I just think that given the right situation, he could really, really be mustered, and I would like to see at some stage that he is given a chance alongside Max because I think he might be a big surprise.”
In 2019, Albon got the jump to drive alongside Verstappen at Red Bull. However, he struggled to match the Dutchman, and got outperformed comprehensively. He finished the year with 105 points, compared to Verstappen’s 214. As a result, he was demoted to the role of reserve driver.
Albon returned to the grid in 2022 when he replaced Mercedes-bound George Russell at Williams. In his two years with the Grove-based team, Albon beat both his teammates (Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant). His 27 points helped the team finish 7th in the standings in 2023 and that has left experts mighty impressed with the Thai racer.
This compels Jordan to insist that Albon deserves a second chance to prove his worth. However, will Albon want to return to Red Bull?
Alex Albon still sour over Red Bull demotion
Alex Albon recently appeared for an interview with Jake Humphrey on High Performance Podcast. There, he revealed the struggles he went through as a Red Bull driver. Albon admitted to deleting all his social media accounts owing to the abuse and constant mocking he endured during the stint.
He even talked about collecting statistics, comparing his own track times with his predecessor at Red Bull – Pierre Gasly, and his successor – Sergio Perez. He used that data to prove that Perez was no better than him, which helped him land the Williams seat.
The 27-year-old opened up on his mental struggles during the Red Bull reserve driver phase. He revealed how agonizing it was for him to stay on the sidelines while watching his fellow drivers and friends take to the tracks every race weekend.
Alex Albon is confident he’d offer a more formidable challenge to Max Verstappen in a Red Bull comeback, feeling better prepared than their first partnership. #F1 #alexalbon #Verstappen #redbullracing pic.twitter.com/9K3PcfXy72
— Oh My Formula 1 (@OhMyFormula1) January 3, 2024
What really counts is his determination to return to the grid and most importantly, make it count. His valuable 2023 season has undoubtedly put him in the lead driver’s role at Williams. The outfit itself is struggling to make it into the midfield. However, with Alex Albon at the helm, they can be sure of capitalizing on the right chances, when the time arrives.
