Alex Albon admits he was too much of a ‘yes-man’ as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull

Alex Albon was promoted to Red Bull mid-way through 2019 after just half a season in Formula 1. The Thai driver unsurprisingly struggled against Max Verstappen during his stint at Milton Keynes. Subsequently, the 27-year-old was moved to the sidelines in 2021 before joining Williams the following year. Now, Albon has revealed a big mistake that hampered his time at the Austrian team.

The 27-year-old claimed that became too much of a ‘yes-man’ at Red Bull. Alex Albon tried to say yes to all activities, be it simulator running or PR. The Thai driver admitted that he was trying to impress Milton Keynes. As Albon had joined the team after just a few races in his F1 career and wanted to please people at the Austrian team.

I was far too much of a 'yes-man' at Red Bull. I was so eager to impress and please people that I said yes to everything, whether it was simulator work, PR obligations or whatever.

Alex Albon told F1

However, the Thai driver reckoned that this approach cost him heavily on track. Albon mentioned that putting the team’s interests first exhausted him even before he sat in the cockpit before a race. Subsequently, the 27-year-old had no chance to match Verstappen on track as the Dutch driver outperformed Alex Albon substantially.

I always put the team's interests first, which meant I was already all up when I got in the car.

Alex Albon learned to prioritize his own interests

The 27-year-old joined Williams in 2022. Since then, Alex Albon has delivered some impressive results for the Grove-based team. The British team wants to ensure that Albon stays with the squad in the long term as it rebuilds itself as a front-runner. The Thai driver has provided the team with some much-needed consistency.

Alex Albon has learned his lesson from his time at Red Bull. The 27-year-old has adopted a more relentless attitude to his stint at Williams as he focuses more on his own interests. Albon has understood the importance of caring about himself more, especially in the ruthless world of F1.

I'm much more relentless now. I put my own interests first and the reason is simple: I have to care about myself more than others care about me.

The Williams driver has redeemed himself as a formidable driver in the F1 midfield. Alex Albon is often compared to his peers at the front of the grid. However, the 27-year-old will need to wait till the Grove-based team can produce a race-winning car or jump ship elsewhere to win in F1.

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