Back in 2018, Helmut Marko was on the verge of signing Alex Albon for the 2019 season. That’s when he met up with the British Thai driver and asked him how much he was getting paid for his “simulator services” at Mercedes. Quick on his feet, Albon told the Austrian an inflated figure, but when Marko asked him for proof, the now Williams ace had to conjure up another lie.
On the High Performance podcast, Albon revealed how he got out of that hairy situation with Marko. He said, “I didn’t give him the contract, the Mercedes contract. Told him it was uh…’You can’t be doing that, It’s illegal!'”
Welcome to High Performance #F1 driver Alex Albon.
After a BRILLIANT season, he sits down for 90 minutes of honest, reflective, vulnerable chat about life in F1 behind the headlines and the stories.
This is the truth…nothing off the table.
Listen: https://t.co/SDo25sKF9Z… pic.twitter.com/ycP1vdiqal
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) November 27, 2023
Albon’s F1 opportunity came in true Marko fashion. It was the 27-year-old who approached the Red Bull advisor during the end of the 2018 Formula 2 season to enquire about a possible F1 seat. But Marko had turned him away saying no seats were available. Lo and behold, Marko came back to him just a few months later.
Naturally, the shrewd Austrian called him in to negotiate a deal, but was very interested to know Albon’s payout at Mercedes. But Albon was playing a masterclass both on and off the track. Before signing for Toro Rosso, Albon had already signed an Formula E agreement to race in 2019.
How Alex Albon forged his path into F1
Albon was pretty much in his first and last season in F2. Hence, to keep his chances of racing alive, he had agreed and signed a deal to race in Formula E for 2019 before the last-ditch F1 opportunity knocked on his door.
But before he had signed his Formula E deal, the Williams talisman ensured that his agreement contained a clause that allowed him to not honor the FE deal if a Formula 1 seat came calling. All Albon had to do was reveal this to Helmut Marko.
What a season, @alex_albon
27 points racked up in 2023. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/DVCymQO0Zs
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) November 26, 2023
24 hours later, he got a call from Marko telling him that he was going to be a Formula 1 driver next year. After a solid half-season with Toro Rosso, he was promoted to the main Red Bull team to replace Pierre Gasly in the middle of the 2019 season. However, after a rather underwhelming 2020 season alongside Max Verstappen, he was dropped for 2021.
In 2022, Williams lapped him up. Now, he has become a team leader at the iconic British team. In 2023, he scored 27 points and ensured the team finished a stunning P7 in the Constructors’ championship after consistently finishing at the bottom of the table in the last years.
