Alex Albon is sure he would put up an even greater challenge to Max Verstappen if offered another shot with Red Bull as he feels more prepared than he was during his initial stint with the team.
Albon stood out as one of the most consistent and exceptional drivers in the 2023 Formula One season; in fact, he is said to have drawn Ferrari’s attention. Albon’s success at Williams has made it easy to overlook the time he spent at Red Bull.
The British-Thai driver joined the Formula One racing fold in 2019 and featured in only twelve races with sister team AlphaTauri after which he spent a brief 18-month stint with Red Bull from 2019 to 2020.
But after living in Verstappen’s shadow, Albon was ousted by Red Bull and replaced by Sergio Perez at the end of 2020. However, he spent the 2021 season as Red Bull’s reserve driver before making his return with Williams in 2022.
Albon assisted Williams in securing P7 in the constructors’ championship almost by himself this year, marking the best result the team has achieved since the 2017 season.
Giving some thought over his struggles at Red Bull, Albon said he thinks he would have handled the task better todaY. He feels more capable of performing well in the Red Bull setting as a result of his increased experience and abilities.
“Other drivers who went through difficult phases in their careers, like Daniel [Ricciardo] at McLaren, had a hard time feeling comfortable in the car,” he told Motorsport Total.
“So we tried to make me feel comfortable in the Red Bull. That somehow never really worked out. With the knowledge I have today, I could have done it. But in hindsight it’s easy to say.
“The bottom line is that I feel that going through these difficult months and race weekends has made me even better and more focused in this area, I have a better understanding of what feedback I need to provide. I have stronger self-confidence today. I know better what the car has to be like in order to perform better.
“When I sit in these meetings, not only with the engineers on the track, but also with the aerodynamicists and technicians in the factory, with the people who are developing the car for next year, then today I know much better what I’m talking about. I understand the car and its strengths and weaknesses better. Then, you have the courage to say more.
Was Alex Albon’s promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull too soon, given his impressive performance since joining Williams? He seems to hint to this likely being the case.
“At Red Bull I still had to learn, so I wasn’t able to provide much feedback on where I wanted the car to go because I first had to learn to understand what the car actually does and why.”
