Things that Alex Albon cannot live without

About three years ago, Daniel Ricciardo told GQ about ten things he can’t live without. And now another Formula 1 driver, Alex Albon, who plays for Williams, has become a guest in the same column of the American magazine.

Hello, I’m Alex Albon, Formula 1 driver, and now I’m going to talk about my most necessary things.

AirTag Smart Tags

All my friends know that I lose everything. I think it’s because I’m constantly focused on my work behind the wheel, and all my thoughts are elsewhere. I’ve lost my wallet, phone, passport, etc. so many times, and AirTag smart tags save me.

Crocs

My crocs are so cool, don’t you think? Although sometimes when I travel with other riders these slippers stay in the boot. They have number 23 on them, which I race under, and there’s a sign from Pacific – everyone knows I’m a very peaceful person. And they also show Lightning McQueen, a character from the cartoon “Cars”.

These slippers are very comfortable to wear. You can even just put them in the washing machine, after which they smell nice.

Named restaurant card

Glad I got a free Chipotle VIP loyalty card, a Mexican restaurant chain. What more can I say? And why did I deserve it? I do not know. I think I can eat as much as I want with this card. However, I don’t think my coach would approve.

Paddle pass and notebook

Let’s move on to things related to racing. With this pass on the track, I go to the paddock, usually everywhere, including the race direction. This happens when we break something and we are called to the stewards. Although I have lost such a pass several times.

The photo on the pass was taken in 2019, when I was in a restaurant with my family. I didn’t have time to respond to a letter asking for a picture, and my mom took a picture of me, then just cut off all the others in the picture. It was fun!

Notepad is even more serious. It doesn’t look very neat, it’s not new anymore, but it’s very important to me. In it I write down everything that has to do with racing. Before each session I take notes, mainly information about all the turns, about what to do while piloting, about the settings, all sorts of short notes.

In racing we deal with an enormous amount of information. This is the temperature of the oil in the engine, the temperature of the tires, the circles on which we will make pit stops – in general, there are many things to remember. And my memory isn’t very good, like I said. So I have to write everything down, otherwise I will forget. Besides, there’s a lot of confidential information here.

Nutritional supplements

This is what helps me. I call them the source of natural melatonin. We travel a lot, sometimes we have to take a plane every week, cross six or seven time zones, and I don’t have enough melatonin. It seems to me that I am not getting enough sleep because of this, and this leads to me not feeling well in the mornings at the beginning of the flying week. These bars are a good alternative, they only contain cherry extract.

I also have caffeinated gum. I chew it almost before every session. In our sport, a lot depends on the mental attitude. You always have to give your all and when I’m tired a small dose of caffeine helps me. It stimulates the brain, promotes concentration. And only after that I get behind the wheel.

Many riders prefer espresso, and that’s okay. I do sometimes too, but if you really want to cheer up, have a cup of espresso, have this gum. Moreover, you will no longer have a coffee smell in your breath when you get started on the track.

Virtual reality glasses

During the pandemic, I got used to the Oculus Rift glasses. When we go to the circuit, we spend a lot of time in hotels. During the pandemic, it happened that I had to quarantine for a few days, and the hotels were pretty boring, and then I bought these virtual reality glasses. My girlfriend has this too.

There are pretty good games for them, although I lose all the time. But when we are far away from each other for a long time, such glasses allow us to play some games together, which is great.

Comfortable clothes

I have very comfortable and soft pants, it is very pleasant to travel in them. And this is my racing underwear, it’s just great, because it has no seams. Last year I had appendicitis, after which several scars appeared, and in such underwear I feel very comfortable when the scars heal.

Skin care products

A friend gave them to me and told me to use them every day. I have very sensitive skin, very oily. And when you wear a racing helmet, you sweat constantly and you don’t want to use greasy cream. But for this, a light gel cream is well suited.

Hot Chili and iPad

I suppose these two things are hard to combine, but I really love this pepper in all forms. I am half Thai, although I do not have Thai pepper now, but Chinese. It was given to me by my friend’s family. They know how to cook absolutely incredible Sichuan pepper! I add it to all meals. I usually eat eggs for breakfast, and this pepper goes well with it.

And this is a regular iPad. I have been using tablets since childhood, I really enjoy watching something on YouTube. In my spare time, when I rest, I do this especially when I come back from work, for example. I like watching food bloggers because I love food and I like spicy food.

Cameras

I like photography, that’s why I have a polaroid camera. Such cameras are becoming increasingly popular, especially in America. When fans come to me, we take pictures, I immediately sign the picture and give it to them. It’s fun! Even when I watch golf matches with my girlfriend, I always have one of those cameras with me. And she takes it to my races.

But I also have a regular film camera. I like this feeling when you don’t know what you did and you want to see the result. When we get to the races we usually have a day to adjust, and this is the perfect time to walk around with a camera like that and take pictures.