F1 drivers are among the most competitive athletes in the world—perhaps because the rival you’re judged against the most is your own teammate, something Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz would certainly understand.
Seldom would a driver accept inferiority to anyone else on the grid, let alone their teammate. But Albon did just that—not in terms of being a worse F1 driver, but certainly a worse golfer than Sainz, one of the biggest golf enthusiasts on the grid.
During a lie-detector test, when asked about his skills on the golf course, Albon said of Sainz, “I have never played with him, but what he says about his own game, I can’t compete. He’s too good.”
Albon wasn’t the first driver to concede defeat to Sainz’s golf skills. The Spaniard’s long-time golf buddy, Lando Norris, also hailed him, declaring him the best among the current pool of drivers competing in the pinnacle of motorsport. But unfortunately for Albon, there’s someone even more difficult to compete against.
The Thai-British driver’s girlfriend, Lily Muni He—a professional golfer—would make anyone in F1 feel bad about their golfing skills. So when asked if he felt ‘inadequate’ playing against her, Albon didn’t need time to think. “Yes,” he said straight away.
Considering He competes on the LPGA Tour, it’s understandable that Albon isn’t at her level.
Lily, Alex Albon’s girlfriend, is a pro on the golf course! ️♀️⛳
She’s heading to the nationals in China before kicking off her US pro season in Chevron, Texas. Wishing her the best of luck! #LilyMuniHe #AlexAlbon #F1 #Golf pic.twitter.com/MAxnsexFFJ— F1grids (@F1gridx) April 5, 2025
As for Sainz, perhaps the 29-year-old can someday match his skills—but to do that, he’ll need to put in the work.
After the Madrid-born, Norris is the most avid golfer on the grid. And in 2022, Sainz revealed just how convincingly he had defeated the Mclaren driver.
“Lando had the pleasure to presence one of the best rounds of golf he has ever seen as a golfer, thanks to my five over with five birdies round that managed to beat him by a mile,” Sainz said.
“You have been lucky to see that level of playing,” the then-Ferrari star added.
Now that Albon and Sainz are on the same team, they’ll be spending more time together off the track. And hanging out with Sainz inevitably means playing a bit of golf every now and then.
Sainz confirmed his golfing supremacy after his Netflix Cup win
With several F1 drivers having an interest in playing golf, Netflix organized the first Netflix Cup – a crossover sport competition where an F1 driver teams up with a professional golfer – in 2023. Sainz, who teamed up with Justin Thomas, emerged victorious against a star-studded field of four different teams.
Sainz and Thomas defeated the pairing of Lando Norris and Rickie Fowler in the first round before beating Pierre Gasly and Tony Finau in the final to win the tournament. Gasly and Finau had earlier beaten Alex Albon and Max Homa in the first round.
With Albon not even making it past the first round, it just goes to show how much worse his golfing skills are likely to be in comparison to Sainz. And with Sainz having won the first edition of this tournament, he would be eager to have Netflix organize this competition again, so that he can once again prove that he is indeed the best golfer among the F1 drivers.
