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EXCLUSIVE: ‘My journey has not been as smooth’ – Albon reflects on the ups and downs of his path to 100 F1 races
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Over five years on from making his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso, Alex Albon is preparing to mark his 100th race start at the United States Grand Prix. Ahead of the milestone, the Thai driver sat down with F1.com to reflect on the highs and lows of his journey so far, from how it has felt to progress alongside the likes of Lando Norris and George Russell to what the next 100 races could hold…
The 2024 F1 season might have gone on a brief hiatus during the autumn break, but Albon is about to hit the track again when he joins F1.com for a chat over video call – well, not so much the track as the streets, with the Thai racer hours away from performing a special demo run in Sao Paulo at the Gulf Speed Festival.
READ MORE: Albon wows Sao Paulo crowds with Williams demo run at the Gulf Speed Festival
“It is different, for sure,” he responds when we ask how it feels to drive a Formula 1 car in a setting other than a traditional circuit. “It’s nice to be able to do stuff outside of being on a race track and more focused on engaging with the fans.
“At the same time, in terms of doing donuts and burnouts and all this kind of stuff, weirdly or not, we don't actually practice it that much! So it takes a little bit of learning to get used to it.”
After Albon has put on a show by taking the FW45 for a spin in front of thousands of fans – marking the second year of Gulf Oil’s partnership with Williams – the 28-year-old will not have long to wait before his next celebration, that being his 100th race start in Austin.
Albon took to the streets of Sao Paulo in the FW45 for a special demo run at the Gulf Speed Festival
Reflecting on a ‘big milestone’
Feelings about these milestone moments can vary amongst drivers. Some choose not to give it much thought – see Lewis Hamilton’s reaction to his 350th race in Singapore – while others acknowledge that it can be emotional, as was the case for Esteban Ocon when he recently hit the 150 mark.
Albon, for his part, is expecting the 100th to bring with it a sense of retrospection.
“It's interesting, because I think we do so many races now a year, 100 races doesn't take long to achieve in some ways,” he says. “But, at the same time, it's still a big milestone. I think my journey has been not as smooth as maybe other drivers on the grid.
“I think most drivers on the grid have reached 100 races already – there's not actually that many that are below 100, so I'm still one of the relatively inexperienced drivers even though I'm about to hit 100.
“I think when you pass the milestone, or when I do, there'll be a little bit of reflection on my ups and downs in my Formula 1 career so far. But, at the same time, you don't win a trophy for it!
“Maybe when I get to 150 [races] or I'll get grey hair, I'll look at it fondly.”
Albon is preparing to mark his 100th race start at the United States Grand Prix
A memorable start – with some travel mix-ups
Albon arrived onto the F1 grid with Toro Rosso at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, a move that came as something as a surprise to the then 22-year-old after he had initially looked set to race in Formula E that year.
Asked if he could still recall the feelings involved when he prepared to race at Albert Park as a rookie – a race that he went on to finish in P14 – Albon answered with a smile: “I remember it like it was yesterday. I think it's the race of my whole career that I remember the most, just because of how much it meant to me to be in Formula 1.
“And more than anything, I think it's more the emotion than the actual racing [that I remember], just the nerves and the feeling of being in F1. It was really amazing.
“I remember the travel there. I remember they messed up my flight – normally we travel business class, but they put me on first class to Melbourne.
“And even that, I remember, obviously I didn't know any better and I thought, ‘wow, first class’ – I barely flew business class, never mind first class! So suddenly I thought, ‘wow, this is F1, this is amazing!’
“But yeah, the first race to where I am now, I think the driving side is actually still very similar. It's more just experience and kind of the normality of it all. It just feels so normal, in a weird way, to be an F1 driver, which obviously is a very privileged position.”
Albon made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in 2019
The ‘surreal’ feeling of racing with childhood rivals
Albon was of course not the only driver to make his debut that weekend; the race in Australia also marked the start of Russell and Norris’s F1 careers, the trio having all made the step up from Formula 2 as well as previously battling each other through the junior ranks.
All three have been on very different paths in the years since, each hitting milestones at various stages. While Albon acknowledges that he does not really compare their journeys through the sport, he admits that the fact that they have all remained in Formula 1 is notable.
READ MORE: 'You gave it your all' – Albon sends message to Sargeant after ‘brutal’ Williams dropping
“[It’s] just great that we're all still here, in some ways,” he explains. “I think there's one thing becoming Formula 1 drivers, there's another thing staying as Formula 1 drivers – obviously I dipped in and out, or out and in, for a year [in 2021].
“But it's amazing. I think when I look back and I see not just us three, but Charles [Leclerc], Max [Verstappen], Carlos [Sainz]... Esteban, Pierre [Gasly] – a lot of us raced against each other, and so to still be racing against each other, it feels quite surreal in some ways.”
Albon made his debut in F1 alongside Norris, one of his former rivals in the junior categories
On whether sharing his 100th start with this group that have come through together perhaps make it more special, Albon adds: “Maybe. I don’t know, maybe I need to share my 100th anniversary cake with them. I guess I'm the last one of the group to do it, so I'll make sure mine's the biggest and the tastiest!”
While Austin will offer an opportunity for Albon to celebrate the milestone alongside his contemporaries, one person who won’t be on hand to enjoy a slice of cake is Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian’s exit from the RB team having been confirmed days after the Singapore Grand Prix.
“I really, really like Daniel,” Albon reflects when asked for his thoughts on Ricciardo’s departure. “I feel like he's a true character in our sport. I feel like he's very true to himself as well, and it's a big loss to see Daniel go.
“I saw the general response from the community of Formula 1, and we will miss him, not to say that he won't come back in some way. I can’t comment about the decision of him being replaced, but yeah, I’ll miss him for sure.”
Albon's 100th race will also be the first in 2024 without Ricciardo following the Australian's immediate exit from RB
The three most special races in Albon’s F1 career
Like Ricciardo, Albon has extensive personal experience with the highs and lows that life in Formula 1 can bring. After being promoted to the main Red Bull team midway through his debut season – and retained for a full campaign in 2020 – the squad opted to replace him with Sergio Perez for 2021.
That year saw him become the Milton Keynes outfit’s test and reserve driver, before he made his return to the grid with Williams in 2022 where he looks to have thrived ever since.
As such, when quizzed on whether there is one particular race from the 99 so far that feels particularly special, Albon cited three that each took place in different stages of his F1 journey.
“The first race – I think every driver would say the same,” he says. “Just as we talked about, the emotions of being a Formula 1 driver for the first time. The second one would be my first podium in Mugello [in 2020].
Albon cites his first podium finish at Mugello in 2020 as one of his most special races in F1
“Not an easy race for myself, not an easy year for myself, but I had a really strong race that weekend. I think, unfortunately, it was more of a weight off my shoulders feeling than a kind of savouring the moment itself. But it was still an amazing feeling to be on the podium, to see the Thai flag behind me, that was very cool.
“And then the final one would actually be a bit more obscure. It would have been my first race back in Formula 1 with Williams [Bahrain 2022] – not the race itself, actually, but the qualifying.
“I think we started that year already on the back foot, and we thought we would qualify P19 and P20, but we ended up making Q2 which, at the moment, obviously doesn't seem like much. But I remember at the time there was a lot of kind of self-pressure to bounce back and prove [to] people what I could do.
“And it was more of a point to myself, to kind of have that feeling that I did a great job and that I belong, so yeah, that moment stood out.”
On his return to the grid with Williams in 2022, Albon was pleased with his performance during his first weekend in Bahrain
Coping with the pressure in F1
In terms of whether he has enjoyed the path towards his 100th race more with that sense of pressure being relieved – particularly given that his long-term future with Williams has since been sealed – Albon concedes: “I think I have, yes. I think it's a real luxury in Formula 1 to be able to say you have a contract that's not ending at the end of the year.
“That's a different kind of pressure, and a pressure that, to be fair, every racing driver has experienced. I think every driver, from when they're eight, nine years old – at least a lot of drivers – they're struggling each year to continue. So, in that sense, it's not unusual.
ANALYSIS: Why it’s win-win for Albon and Williams as they link up for 2026 and beyond
“But the fact that, when you sign a long-term deal, you're in the rhythm of Formula 1, you understand it, you understand how it works. You understand how the cars work, you feel like you’re doing well as well. Yeah, you can definitely kind of savour it much more.”
And while there have been ups and downs leading up to this point, Albon has been able to utilise many of his past experiences in a positive way; for example, his time on the sidelines at Red Bull in 2021 – during which he took on a mentoring role to Yuki Tsunoda – has proven fruitful in developing as a team leader at Williams.
Albon's year on the sidelines with Red Bull in 2021 saw him act as a mentor to Tsunoda
“I would say that it's a different dynamic, I think, at Williams to especially my role at Red Bull,” he explains. “My role at Red Bull was just to perform, very simply.
“I think especially at Williams, what's happened is obviously we're not in a position where we can be that selfish, and we need to work together to really bring the team forward.
“So if that means being more open and trying to really make sure we're understanding the car together, especially just trying to help with my experience and almost my communication to the whole team – including the other side of the garage – to improve the car or improve the way we're using the tyres or the development of next year's car, whatever it may be, I have no problems with that, and so I do think that’s been quite different.
“And I enjoy that role, I feel like it's necessary. We're a team that's on the up, and then having that kind of open relationship makes the development of the car and our success, I believe, happen quicker.”
Albon feels that his past experiences have helped him to communicate well with the rest of the team at Williams
Looking to the future with Williams
Williams do indeed look to be on an upward trajectory. Post-Monza, Albon voiced his hope that the squad could catch Alpine for P8 in the constructors’ standings; just two weeks later, a double points finish in Baku saw them achieve this goal.
It is a midfield battle that remains undeniably tight, but has the target now shifted to going after Haas for seventh place?
“The goal is definitely forwards,” Albon states. “I think, if you start looking backwards, you start to get complacent and take less risk, and I think the goal should always be to overtake cars in front of us.
“I think, for right now, the last few races, we've had a quicker car than the Haas for most of the weekends. If it's not been quicker, it's generally been [the case that] we can explain it, as in maybe we've got something not quite right that weekend, or whatever it may be.
A double points finish for Williams in Azerbaijan helped the team to leapfrog Alpine in the constructors' standings
“The Aston [Martin] is a little bit hot and cold. I think sometimes they can be really quick and, when they're not quick, we can just about beat them. But we need to, because we need to beat the Aston to beat the Haas and the RB, just because obviously the points are for the fifth fastest team generally, so P9, P10, that's kind of our goal.
“So we need to be quicker than all of the midfield and, for now, if you just do the maths, if you score one point every weekend or two points every weekend, you won't catch up to the Haas or the RB, so you actually are looking for more dynamic races, more chaotic races.
“We're going to go to a few races now [where], I don't think Austin will be one, but think about Brazil with the weather. Think about even maybe Qatar with the tyres. Mexico is a bit of a unique circuit too.
“So you can have good points finishes and that's kind of what we're focusing on – if we can just be the fifth quickest team, we can then hope for a crazy race, and that P9 actually turns out to be like a P6 or something in there, and then we're straight away in the fight.”
What will the next 100 races hold for Albon?
To the next 100
The on-track goal, then, is clear. But when asked if there are any set plans in place to commemorate his 100th race – such as a special helmet design – Albon answers with a laugh: “I need to catch up on my helmet designing right now. I feel like normally, yes, but I've been a bit busy the last few weeks!
“So normally, a helmet is planned. We were going to do more than that, which was really exciting, but unfortunately that fell apart. But for now, I think it's that. I'm sure the team might try and do something as they always do, but yeah, that's all.”
It has since been confirmed that Albon's FW46 will sport a special commemorative logo during the weekend in Austin, while he will also meet with fans at a Fan Zone event where limited edition merchandise will be available.
With that multi-year agreement at Williams under his belt, Albon will hopefully have plenty of opportunities to celebrate further milestones going forward. Which poses the question – what are his hopes and targets for the next 100?
“The next 100 races, wow…” he responds, taking a moment to reflect. “So that would be another four years, more or less, in the sport.
“Let’s see. I think there’s a high chance it would still be at Williams. I’m excited to see what the future is. I'm hoping, at my 200th GP, we’re talking about fighting for podiums and more up at the front end.
“But yes, I think that would be a very simple but nice way to celebrate my 200th – and a bigger cake!”
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