Alex Albon expects Red Bull to have a strong 2022 season despite spending most of their resources towards succeeding in 2021.
Albon made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2019 but was promoted to the Red Bull seat midway into the season. He showed early promise that year, but couldn’t live up to expectations the following campaign.
After a sub-par 2020, Albon was demoted to the role of Red Bull’s reserve and development driver for 2021. He was replaced at the Austrian team by former Racing Point driver Sergio Perez.
2021 was a very successful year for Red Bull as Max Verstappen became their first World Champion since Sebastian Vettel in 2013. They also pushed Mercedes to the limit in the Constructors’ Championship, which no team has been able to do in the turbo hybrid era.
Their successful 2021 season has left a lot of people wondering about their plans for 2022. Red Bull spent a lot of their resources on developing Verstappen’s title winning car and with a budget cap introduced next season, it leaves them in a potentially tricky situation.
Albon on the other hand feels that Red Bull will pick up where they left off come 2022 season.
Also read: Max Verstappen reveals his most stressful weekend of the 2021 season
Red Bull were very smart with their development plans, says Alex Albon
Albon admitted that the team worked harder towards the end of 2021 to help Verstappen win the title. However, he insists that they didn’t take their foot off the gas when it came to preparing for next year.
Since he was a reserve and development driver, Albon worked on the simulator to help his team gather data for the future.
“I spent 50 percent of my time on the 2021 car. The other 50 percent on the 2022 car,” Albon said.
“As the championship neared the end, the focus shifted more towards winning the world title. We then worked harder than usual around Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. But it turned out ok. If you can win a championship in the short term, then you have to go for it.”
“But the team has been smart about it. Also, Red Bull have always been good with Adrian Newey when it comes to rule changes. They won’t be in a bad position next year.” he said.
Albon found himself a seat in F1 ahead of the start of next season. He will partner up with Nicholas Latifi at Williams, where he replaces George Russell.
