Even though F1 is one of the most competitive sports in the world, some of the drivers share a great camaraderie. Two such drivers are Williams’ Alex Albon and Mercedes’ George Russell. Veteran F1 journalist Chris Medland recently discussed an interaction between the two, where Albon was not afraid to call out Russell for his feeling of “entitlement” as a Mercedes driver.
Medland points out how Albon was unhappy when Russell overtook him while arriving at the track on Saturday morning. The Thai-British driver believes that what the Briton did was “completely illegal” and that the police should have taken note of the incident.
Why was Alex Albon unhappy with George Russell?
Chris Medland put out several posts on Saturday to point out how Alex Albon was furious when George Russell passed him while arriving at the track. What made Albon even more annoyed was the fact that the Briton gave him a “little wave” after getting out of the car near the entrance.
Racing drivers are always racing drivers: George Russell overtook Alex Albon out of the tunnel under the track when arriving this morning. He was very pleased with himself – saw a gap and took it 😂 #F1 #ItalianGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) September 2, 2023
Russell then asked his trainer to park the car, a move that Albon believes is a sheer feeling of “entitlement“. When Medland asked Albon about what transpired between him and Russell via Speed City Broadcasting, the 27-year-old replied, “It’s dirty tactics and completely illegal“.
Albon then hilariously added that he had hoped that the police would have taken note of the incident. However, since it was Russell, the Williams driver revealed that the police ignored what the Briton did.
Albon’s frustrations with Russell just did not end there as he added, “He drops his car off at the entrance and then makes his trainer park the car for him. I think that just shows you the entitlement, and it’s just all gone to his head a little bit, this Mercedes stuff! I’m true to my man. I park my car, and I walk in like a normal person“.
So I asked @alex_albon about this on @Speedcaster after qualifying and he said:
“It’s dirty tactics and completely illegal. I was kind of hoping the police would have seen it and call him out on it, but as soon as they saw it was George they didn’t care…”
1/3#F1 #ItalianGP https://t.co/aDeUNU2oeU
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) September 2, 2023
It is pertinent to note that it is not just Albon who believes that Mercedes has changed Russell but also Lando Norris. However, unlike Albon, Norris made his remarks on a more serious note.
Norris explains how Mercedes has changed Russell for the worse
In an interview last year, Lando Norris explained how George Russell’s move to Mercedes has changed the 25-year-old for the worse. The McLaren driver believes that the former Williams driver is now just less fun to hang out with and that the two just do not share the same comfort with each other as they did previously.
As quoted by The Race, Norris said, “It is more that people change just because of the pressure and nerves of F1 and being with different teams and the environment you’re in. That can affect people. Not for a good reason or a bad reason, but I guess you feel a bit more free when you are in a team that struggles, and you do well in it“.
Norris believes that since Russell is now at a big team like Mercedes, the 25-year-old prefers not to “joke around as much” as he did before. Hence, Norris believes that even though it may not be a conscious choice on Russell’s part to act more seriously, a move to a big team often does impact drivers for the worse in this regard.
