Alex Albon says hearing 11-time race winner drive at Silverstone made him fall in love with F1

Follow us on Google Discover

Williams Racing driver Alex Albon will pass 100 Formula 1 Grand Prix starts this season and has established himself as one of the quickest drivers in the midfield.

Alex Albon proved his worth to the Williams team last season, dragging them single-handedly to seventh in the Constructors’ Championship with teammate Logan Sargeant only able to score a single point.

This year has been less fruitful, with 9^th place finishes in Monaco and Silverstone the only times Williams have secured points this season.

However, that was enough to convince Albon to extend his time with Williams for at least another season and into the new Formula 1 regulations.

He doesn’t know the identity of his teammate for next season yet but Valtteri Bottas is one of the favourites to make a return to Williams.

Albon has been speaking to the official Formula 1 website and talking about his introduction to the sport.

The Thai driver has been racing single-seater cars since 2012 but was karting from a much younger age.

Albon has now shared that it was hearing Felipe Massa driving at Silverstone for Sauber that made him fall in love with the sport.

The Brazilian driver – who won 11 races and was one corner away from a world championship – had a very impressive F1 career.

He’s also one of the most successful Williams drivers in recent times and was the senior pro who guided Bottas through his entry to Formula 1.

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

Alex Albon fell in love with F1 after hearing Felipe Massa drive at Silverstone

Asked what made him fall in love with Formula 1, Albon said: “I would say my most clear example would be doing my ARKS (Association of Racing Kart Schools) test, which is basically your racing licence.

“I did it at Silverstone and I remember Felipe Massa was with Sauber at the time, with the Petronas Red Bull car, and just hearing that V10 screaming… Whilst I was on the track karting, I could hear the noise of the F1 car, and that was pretty special.”

Massa spent three seasons with Sauber at the beginning of his F1 career, scoring 27 points before earning his dream move to Ferrari.

He was initially paired with Michael Schumacher although Massa had a tougher time driving alongside Fernando Alonso.

The Brazilian finished his career with four seasons at Williams and five years after he drove his final race for one of F1’s most storied teams, Albon stepped into his seat after leaving Red Bull.

Williams must secure their top driver target for the 2025 F1 season

During the time Felipe Massa drove for Williams, not only were they regularly challenging for podiums at times but he even secured a pole position during his first season with the team.

Aside from George Russell’s unexpected front-row start and subsequent second-place finish at Spa in 2021, Williams have been nowhere near that level of performance in recent years.

Albon is extracting the most out of his Williams although Logan Sargeant hasn’t been given an equal car for much of this year.

Williams signing Valtteri Bottas would be a boost given his experience with his time at Sauber coming to an end.

James Vowles did initially want Carlos Sainz but with that move looking less and less likely, the Finnish driver now appears to be the best available free agent.

Bottas is an expert at delivering feedback which will help a team that need to make big strides forward, especially with new regulations arriving in 2026.