Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon has explained why it is so difficult to be a teammate of team star driver Max Verstappen as he is aiming for a return to Formula 1.
Albon spent just under two seasons at the Dutch star’s side but struggled to match the form the 24-year-old produced throughout his time leading to his being replaced by Sergio Perez in 2021.
The 25-year-old found it understandably difficult to match the level that Verstappen delivered to the Red Bull team, as did his predecessor Pierre Gasly, whom he replaced during the 2019 season.
As a result, in a recent interview with the F1 Nation Podcast, Albon stated that, compared to his teammate, he had a great deal of difficulty not adapting to the Red Bull car as quickly as Verstappen.
Albon said: “You are [Red Bull] don’t put additional pressure on you … the media already does. Besides, I’m already putting the greatest pressure on myself, nobody can add that anymore.
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“How the car can be fast is not as easy for Sergio and me to find out as it is for Max.”
The 25-year-old also spoke about working with consultant Helmut Marko after the 78-year-old had often earned a bad reputation among his former drivers and colleagues due to his critical attitude.
Instead, Albon said that the role of ‘bad guy’ Marko is often painted over is not the case, as he commented: “I think, frankly, there is a misunderstanding about it. I think there is this “bad guy” role that is being played in the media in all of this, but basically it is definitely not nearly that.
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“You [the media] know more than I do. I think Helmut is probably getting the worst role on the global side, but I think it’s just Red Bull in general.
“First you have to realize that they are a winning team, they expect good results. That leads to a culture in the team of “We don’t win, we are not happy” and that is how it should be.
“Above all, the top 3 teams, usually Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, expect that.
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“Of course it’s tough, especially when you don’t have a lot of experience to be on a top team. But yes it is. I think the main thing is to become more self-confident with the car. “
After his time outside of Formula 1, the 25-year-old will return to the starting line-up after a year off when he teams up with Williams for the 2022 season alongside Nicholas Latifi.
This comes after Williams’ youngster and rising star George Russell secured a move to seven-time world champion and Englishman Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the next campaign.
The post Alex Albon explains why it is so difficult to be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate | F1 | Sports first appeared on monter-une-startup.
