Alex Albon names the F1 driver he hates seeing in his mirrors even more than Max Verstappen

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Alex Albon may now be racing in the midfield with Williams, but he previously spent 18 months in a frontrunning car at Red Bull. Christian Horner handed him a promotion midway through 2019 after his impressive performances at the junior team.

Albon faced arguably the toughest task in F1 – going up against Max Verstappen in equal machinery. To make matters worse, he says Red Bull cater to Verstappen’s ‘Call of Duty’ driving style.

Verstappen outpaced Albon in qualifying 25 times in 26 sessions. The Thai driver fared better in the races, though still lost 17-9.

At the end of the 2021 season, Red Bull dropped him to sign Sergio Perez. Many would argue that the Mexican hasn’t been a clear upgrade.

With three races of 2024 to go, Albon finds himself 16th in the championship. He’s scored points on four occasions, with a best result of seventh in Azerbaijan.

Among the drivers who have completed a full season, he ranks third from bottom, only ahead of the scoreless Sauber duo. He could still leapfrog Kevin Magnussen, who’s just two points ahead.

Alex Albon dreads seeing Kevin Magnussen in his mirrors

Speaking to Motorsport.com’s TikTok page, Albon admitted that he dreads racing Magnussen. Given that Haas are 29 points ahead of Williams, the Dane has arguably underachieved this year.

As Albon points out, he’s often found himself battling the Williams cars on track. Magnussen became the first driver banned under F1’s penalty points system in Azerbaijan a couple of months ago.

He accumulated 12 during the 2024 season alone, automatically triggering a suspension. He’s losing his seat at the end of the season after the signings of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon.

Asked who he ‘hated to see’ in his rearview mirrors, he said: “I always think of the same people. Kevin Magnussen. We’re on track a lot together, and it’s always tough.”

Williams man Alex Albon called Haas driver Kevin Magnussen ‘really dangerous’ earlier this year

Opinions were split on Magnussen’s ban. The incident that took him beyond the threshold came at Monza, where he made contact with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

However, Gasly was ‘aghast’ at the Magnussen decision and wanted to discuss it with the stewards. That wasn’t enough for them to change their minds.

GPDA director George Russell felt Magnussen deserved his ban. The former McLaren driver had been on the brink since May, and was perhaps fortunate to escape a sanction for a first-lap crash with Sergio Perez in Monaco.

Albon called Magnussen ‘really dangerous’ over the team radio at the Dutch Grand Prix in August. He felt his midfield rival was driving deliberately slowly to build a gap for teammate Nico Hulkenberg ahead.