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“It Was Very Toxic”: Alex Albon on His Time as Red Bull Driver

Vidit Dhawan
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“It Was Very Toxic”: Alex Albon on His Time as Red Bull Driver

Alex Albon had an underwhelming spell at Red Bull as he struggled massively to match Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. As a result of the Thai driver’s below-par performances, he received immense criticism. The 27-year-old has now opened up on the same in an interview with the High-Performance Podcast.

When asked if he enjoyed being a Red Bull driver, Albon without any hesitation replied, “Not at all. No. I was struggling I think. I was struggling with the attention around it. I deleted all my socials. It was very toxic, the mocking, the quotes. The becoming a laughing joke, a meme“.

After being way off the pace in 2019 and 2020 when compared to teammate Verstappen, Red Bull demoted Albon to a reserve driver role in 2021. One of the possible reasons why Albon struggled massively at Red Bull is because the team perhaps produced a car that was more suited to Verstappen’s strengths.

Even though Albon had a horrible time at Red Bull, he seems to be having the time of his life at Williams currently. The Thai driver has produced such outstanding performances for the Wantage-based outfit that he is once again on the radar for some of the top teams on the grid.

How has Alex Albon performed at Williams?

After his failure to secure a race seat in 2021, Alex Albon returned as a full-time driver with Williams in 2022. He replaced the departing George Russell and partnered Nicholas Latifi last season.

Despite having by far the slowest car on the grid, Albon managed to score four crucial points for the team. The Thai driver then continued his form into this season by scoring an outstanding 23 points for Williams.

Albon has been so brilliant this season that reports even emerged that Red Bull wanted to recruit him back into their driver program. However, it was the 27-year-old who said, “No, thank you“, on this occasion.

Hence, even though Williams are no longer a top team, Albon does seem to be far happier in this side than he was at Red Bull. The former Red Bull driver currently has a multi-year deal with Williams for 2023 and beyond.

About the author

Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan

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Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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