The 26th episode of F1 Beyond The Grid podcast as Alexander Albon talking about his early years, Toro Rosso/Red Bull call, rivals in F1 and more.
Albon starts the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast by talking about getting into the sport and his feelings. The Thai-British racer couldn’t believe that he got the drive with Toro Rosso, which wasn’t looking like it.
Even for the Red Bull switch, he wasn’t thinking much but post summer break, the reality of it hit him when at Spa-Francorchamps. He then talks about the jitters of the pre-season F1 test at Barcelona.
He had an off which did not help as well in his first time in a proper session. He admits that he wasn’t fully prepared for Australian GP and that only after six-seven races, he got the hang of it and started feeling comfortable.
They then discussed the difference between Toro Rosso and Red Bull. He talked about learning from Max Verstappen, especially in team briefings as he recalled his first meet with him in 2009 and then racing against him.
Albon also spoke on his relation with Christian Horner, Pierre Gasly and Helmet Marko. With Marko, he talked about getting into Red Bull programme and the disastrous 2012 when he was dropped.
He found support from Genii but it didn’t stretch as much as well. His results didn’t come until in 2016 when he signed with ART Grand Prix in the GP3 Series with Charles Leclerc as one of his teammates.
He recalls the fight with Leclerc and then the F2 seasons with DAMS. When asked about the story behind Toro Rosso drive, Albon was clear that by August in 2018, the F1 door was closed for him with a no from Red Bull.
He opted for Formula E with Nissan through DAMS but then started the talks with Marko, who approached him for the drive. The talks continued on until Abu Dhabi GP, when they officially announced him.
Even the Red Bull switch, Marko was very casual to break him the news. Towards the end of the podcast, Albon talked about his racing passion coming through via Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.
His dad did race as well plus talks about his family and then meeting the family of first Thai F1 racer. They also chat about Leclerc and racing against him, while finished off talking on his future and what he needs to do.