Alex Albon, the Willimas driver, was once Red Bull’s second lead driver. He started his Formula One career at Toro Rosso in 2019. But soon, looking at his performance, he was chosen perfectly to replace Pierre Gasly mid-way in the season from Red Bull. It is indeed true that no other driver matched the level Max Verstappen is moving with at present. And neither was Alex Albon. In the 2020 F1 season, Max was becoming a rising star. Even with the same car, his teammate, Albon, was unable to match Max’s pace. All the time they raced together, Max Verstappen overtook his teammate.
Red Bull Makes Car For Max Verstappen
No progress in the result of the British Thai driver made him lose his lead driver position to become the reserve driver for the team in 2021. And finally, Sergio Perez stepped into the world of the Austrian racing team, signing three years contract with the team. For Albon, things must have been hard. He became the second driver to get replaced based on the comparison he got with the Dutch driver.
Anyone can easily figure out the fact that Max Verstappen is such a great driver. Look at his teammate; why can’t he score the same with the same car? Max must have got some hidden talent or driving skills that other lacks. But do you know there is a secret they hide? Alex Albon, who had been a part of team Red Bull for a long time, reveals the dark secret of the team, reflecting on his difficult spell at Red Bull.
Speaking with The Player’s Tribune, Albon first clarified that he is not throwing shade at anyone at Red Bull racing or Max Verstappen, honestly. Then he mentioned, “The car is set up in a unique way that is built around the lead driver [need], and that is Max Verstappen.”
Alex Albon Was Ignored Champion In Red Bull Because Max Verstappen Was Next To Him, the Future Wolrd Champion
However, it does not mean that Max cannot win with a different car. Albon explains, “I totally get it. Why. When all is said and done, he might be the greatest driver of all time”. But there is something that fans should know about his behavior. According to Alex, Max Verstappen has a very distinct style of driving. And he likes the championship-winning machine to set up a certain way that’s hard for a lot of drivers to sync up with.
In Formula One, of course, you get the right to “tinker and tweak” your car. But what happens in Red Bull is, in general, they build cars that suit Max’s style. And the other drivers get to adjust themselves to that. Alex Albon not only revealed this about Red Bull. But he also showed how irritated he was with Red Bull’s front nose.
He stated, “I have been teammates with George Russell and Charles Leclerc and liked a lot of front end and nose.” But during his tenure with Red Bull, “there was so much nose on the thing that if you blew on the wheel, the car would turn.” Things were very much difficult for him because on the other seat was sitting Max Verstappen, a future world champion, said Alex Albon.