Completing a century of F1 Grand Prix weekends is a huge achievement for any driver. However, when one reaches such a milestone, they usually want more and take a look at what their immediate rivals have achieved. Alex Albon, who reached the 100 mark in his career at the age of 28, did not seem to consider it too significant.
Instead, Albon pointed out how drivers younger than him have taken part in more races. When asked about the same, he replied (in a recent interview),
“I don’t feel like I am that young. Feel I have been in F1 for a while but I am still one of the least experienced drivers on the grid. So, it is kind of like a weird mix. They have already done like a 130 or so“.
Albon is right about feeling less experienced than younger drivers on the grid such as Lando Norris or Charles Leclerc. They have competed in more races than him, perhaps because they did not have to sit out an entire season — like he had to in 2021.
From a ‘super shy kid’ to taking Williams into the new era of Formula 1.
We sat down with Alex ahead of his 100th Grands Prix for an exclusive piece ⬇️
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 20, 2024
Moreover, Albon made his F1 debut at the age of 22, when some of his rivals from F2 such as Norris, made theirs at 19. This three-year difference counted a lot in terms of getting experience in F1.
However, downplaying the 100 F1 races mark would be wrong on Albon’s part too, because he still has a wealth of experience — more than several drivers on the grid including his teammate Franco Colapinto, who has taken part in just four Grand Prix weekends including the US GP on Sunday, where he outperformed the Thai-British driver.
How have Albon and Colapinto performed as teammates?
Despite competing in only four F1 weekends so far, Colapinto has already scored five crucial points for Williams. He scored his maiden F1 points (4) in his second race at Baku, where he finished eighth. He then added to his tally by finishing tenth in this past weekend’s United States GP.
Albon has scored eight points in this same period. The 28-year-old scored a couple of points at Monza and then six at Baku, where he finished an impressive seventh.
However, it was his performance at Austin that was concerning as he only managed to finish 16th after suffering damage early on in the race while Colapinto made sure Williams didn’t go home empty-handed.
With F1 recently seeing an influx of younger drivers, Albon would need to continue to deliver if he wants his future in the sport to remain secure.
