Alex Albon returned to Formula 1 after a one-year hiatus and immediately started showing results behind the wheel of a not the fastest Williams car. In the latest edition of the Beyond The Grid podcast, the Thai racer revealed how difficult it was for him in 2021 when he was reserve driver for Red Bull Racing.
Alex Albon: “I felt terrible after Red Bull’s decision – they announced quite late that I would not be playing for the team in 2021 – I think the announcement was made in December. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko continued to believe in me and I kept a good relationship with them, but I wanted to drive in Formula 1 and I was trying to find a way to come back.
Last year we had a fast car and Max Verstappen often talked about how much more stable the rear was. People like Adrian Newey praised me a lot. I wouldn’t say I helped much, but I felt I contributed. On the one hand, this is great, but on the other, it was a little disappointing that I couldn’t use the results of my work.
The first few races were especially tough for me as a reserve driver. I had to come to every stage and just be on the track. I couldn’t even watch the races and tried to stay as far away as possible.
In 2021 it was important not only to help the team with development, but also to learn from Max and Sergio, just by listening to their conversations with the engineers – even from this I learned new information for myself. I thought it would be interesting to step aside for a while, get away from everyone’s attention in the paddock and assess what’s happening from a different angle.
Source: F1 News
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