Alex Albon admits the key reason why F1 star was ‘unprepared’ for Red Bull seat

Follow us on Google Discover

Alex Albon has now admitted the key reason why he was ‘unprepared’ for a seat with Red Bull after the Williams ace earned his 100th start at the United States Grand Prix.

The London-born Thai broke into the pinnacle of motorsport with the aid of Red Bull back in 2019. Albon enjoyed his Formula 1 debut for Toro Rosso in the Australian Grand Prix. Yet he only remained in Faenza for the first 12 rounds of the season before stepping up to Red Bull.

A promotion to replace Pierre Gasly in Milton Keynes arrived at Albon’s door during his first season in F1 as Red Bull reacted to the Frenchman struggling beside Max Verstappen. But it did not work out perfectly for either party as Albon only lasted 26 Grands Prix with Red Bull.

Alex Albon admits he lacked the experience in Formula 1 to make racing for Red Bull work

For the first time since 2007 when Mark Webber joined the team, Red Bull looked outside of their driver pool to replace Albon after 26 Grands Prix and signed Sergio Perez. The team felt it was best to part with a one-time member of their junior team as Albon did not get results.

Through his Grands Prix for Red Bull, during which Verstappen bagged 15 podiums including three wins, Albon reached the rostrum just twice. He also scored just 105 points for seventh place in the 2020 drivers’ championship compared to the 214 Verstappen achieved for third.

READ MORE: Williams driver Alex Albon’s life outside F1 from net worth, girlfriend to parents

Losing the Red Bull drive to Perez also left Albon without a seat on the F1 grid for 2021 so he raced in the DTM. But the 28-year-old, who returned to Formula 1 through Williams in 2022, does not regret his time at Red Bull – only that Albon lacked the experience to make it work.

Albon said, via quotes by Motorsport-Total. “Everything happened very quickly and then I was quickly promoted to Red Bull. It felt great at the time but, looking back, I realise how unprepared I really was.

“I wasn’t the best driver I am now at the time. I don’t regret any of it. You always take a chance when you get one. But I guess I just needed a bit more time to settle in, adapt and understand this world.”

Alex Albon rebuilt his reputation at Williams to see Red Bull explore re-signing him in 2024

Albon proved he had the talent to be a successful Formula 1 driver from the start of his spell with Toro Rosso. But Gasly failing to finish on any podium during his 12 Grands Prix with Red Bull tempted the team to make the sudden change and promote Albon before he was ready.

Qualifying then proved to be a huge thorn in Albon’s side as he struggled to get to grips with Red Bull’s car. While he could race well come the Grand Prix, the London-born Thai often left himself on the back foot by qualifying down the order with an average place of P7 for 2020.

Spending some time away from Formula 1 before returning with Williams to replace George Russell has since helped Albon gain the experience he lacked with Red Bull. His results over the 2023 season even saw Red Bull register an interest in re-signing Albon if he left Williams.

But, despite Red Bull wanting a first-refusal option on his signature, Albon agreed to a new contract with Williams in May which locked him in through at least the 2027 season. Albon will now lead Williams into F1’s 2026 regulation overhaul beside the incoming Carlos Sainz.