Formula 1
Albon owes Russell ‘a couple of beers’ for Williams F1 seat
Alex Albon joked that he owes George Russell “a couple of beers” for his help in getting a Formula 1 seat with Williams, but said he was almost “too supportive”.
Luke Smith
Edited: Sep 24, 2021, 8:08 AM
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Red Bull reserve driver Albon will make a racing return to F1 next year after signing for Williams, having dropped off the grid at the end of the 2020 season.
Albon will partner Nicholas Latifi next year, replacing the Mercedes-bound Russell, who is a close friend of the Anglo-Thai driver.
Albon and Russell raced against each other through much of their careers, stretching back to go karting, and both graduated from F2 at the end of 2018.
Albon said that Russell had been “very supportive” in helping get him the Williams seat, but revealed the team’s bosses told him they had to take their friendship into account when gauging Russell’s opinion.
“Obviously George is a close friend of mine,” Albon said.
“I would almost say [he was] too supportive, as I remember that the board guys saying like, 'you know we can't really take George's opinion because he's so supportive of you', so it was very funny about that.
“I said I owe him a couple of beers. Hopefully we'll grab dinner and we can celebrate our moves together.”
Russell expressed his confidence that Albon would succeed with Williams, having gained experience with AlphaTauri and Red Bull across 2019 and 2020.
“I’m extremely happy to see Alex back in Formula 1, I truly believe he deserves a chance on this grid,” Russell said.
“I really think he is one of the best drivers, even though he had a really tough time at Red Bull.
“Williams is absolutely the right place for him to go and develop. I’ve been there for the past three years, I know how the team are, I know how Jost [Capito] operates as well, and obviously I know Alex really well as well.
“So I’m sure they’ll be a successful combination.”
Read Also:
- Albon yet to find out ‘very strict’ F1 clauses to protect Mercedes
- Albon: IndyCar was preferred option if F1 return didn't happen
- Red Bull not ruling out Williams F1 partnership after Albon move
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