Alex Albon: I would bring Max and Lando to Williams

After one season in the DTM, Alex Albon is back in Formula 1 driving for Williams and seems to be having a good time. The team is also satisfied with his work and extended his contract until 2023. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, he admitted that the season in another championship has done him good.

Q: You made your Formula 1 debut in 2019. If given the chance, what advice would you give yourself at the time from today’s experience?
Alex Albon: Then I thought I was well prepared. But now I would tell myself that the experience is not so easy. Everything takes time. Although I missed last season, I feel like I’m better prepared for Formula 1 now than I am at the end of 2020. And when I talk about experience, I don’t just mean driving a car.

Q: In 2019 you beat George Russell and Lando Norris for the Rookie of the Year award. But what went wrong after that?
Alex Albon: I’d say something went wrong. That would be an exaggeration. After only six months in Formula 1, I was immediately transferred to the top team Red Bull Racing (Albon replaced Pierre Gasly). So 2019 was a good year for me, but in 2020 I had to struggle with the car.

Q: What were the problems?
Alex Albon: I just didn’t have the experience. You can remember that at the beginning of last season Sergio Perez was just as inferior to Max Verstappen as I was. I’ve been criticized a lot for not being very impressive, so the break in Formula 1 in 2021 was very useful.

If you’re not playing in the championship yourself, you get the chance to see everything from the outside and suddenly see a picture in its entirety. I realized how important it is to get the most out of the car. Sometimes you are not satisfied with the settings, but still these are the best settings of all possible options at any given time. I didn’t understand right away.

Q: During the year you played in the DTM. Did you think you could return to Formula 1 then?
Alex Albon: Of course there were no guarantees. But I was always determined to do everything I could to get back. We also had backup options, but Plan A was always connected to Formula 1. I really enjoyed playing in DTM, but I’ve been dreaming about F1 since I was five years old.

Q: How hard was it to switch back to Formula 1 after DTM?
Alex Albon: The DTM has completely different cars. It’s funny that in the first place I had problems with various electronic systems that help control. Formula 1 is closer to “pure” racing in this regard, as it’s just you and your car, while the DTM still uses ABS and traction control systems.

So I had more to do with all those electronics, and not with the car as such. You have to understand where the limit is set by electronic systems and where is the grip limit related to the action of rubber.

Q: Which of the DTM tracks has stuck with you the most?
Alex Albon: Lausitzring is a great track. Speaking of other tracks, they look familiar to me from the youth series. And the best of these is the Nürburgring. The DTM races were on the same track as in Formula 1, but my partner Liam Lowson and I spent every spare minute on the Nordschleife.

First we drove rental cars there, I had a Citroën C3, Liam had a WV Polo. But then Red Bull gave us two Porsche GT3 RS and it was really cool! We had an incredible amount of fun. Liam and I even considered buying a house near the North Loop so we could drive our cars there every day.

Q: Do you think it is possible to have Formula 1 races there?
Alex Albon: That would be cool! This, of course, requires hard tires that can withstand overheating. Other than that I don’t see much of a problem. Unless you have to come up with something to change Karussell. And it is necessary that DRS can be used on the very long straight.

Q: Back to Formula 1 today: how hard was it to go to Williams after Red Bull?
Alex Albon: Of course, Red Bull has more resources, and this is being felt even as the teams have moved to tight budgets. When we talk about the structure and working methods, both teams are quite comparable. And some features, the atmosphere – all this always depends on specific persons.

Q: But now you have no opportunity to fight for leading group positions…
Alex Albon: It doesn’t affect my motivation in any way. I want to show what I can do. Of course, the goals ahead of me are slightly different, because if we manage to earn points, it equates to wins for us. But you get used to it quickly and I still enjoy racing. We see the team moving forward. Without it it would be more difficult.

Q: What can you say to Josta Capito – how tough is he as a leader?
Alex Albon: He is a very charismatic leader who passionately loves his job. It is very important that he has a clear vision of the future. And when necessary, he can be tough and I treat him with great respect.

Q: If you were the team leader, which riders would you invite?
Alex Albon: If it wasn’t for such a moment as salaries, I would definitely take Max Verstappen. He is extremely talented and knows everything. But with an eye to the future, I would also choose one of the young pilots. I think Williams would be great for Lando Norris. He gets on well with Max. And inviting Max and George Russell is likely to lead to conflict.

Q: Will you be staying with Williams for a long time now?
Alex Albon: This should be taken as a given. Every rider gets the chance to show themselves. I got this opportunity at the beginning of my career.

Q: Are you saying that Red Bull Racing called you too early?
Alex Albon: No, but from the pinnacle of current experience, I see the situation I was in differently then. When we talk about other racers, I know everyone very well, they are all very talented. We’ve all been rivals in karting and the progress they’ve made is really impressive. I believe there is a generational change in Formula 1, and actually we are not that young anymore.