Alex Albon hails Formula One champion Max Verstappen's mental ability

Alex Albon, a British-born Thai driver, shared the Red Bull Racing garage with 2021 world champion Verstappen before Sergio Perez.

Max Verstappen after winning the 2021 US GP. (Image: Twitter/Max Verstappen)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Jan 17, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

According to his former Red Bull teammate Alex Albon, Max Verstappen‘s biggest attribute is his mental tenacity. Albon, a British-born Thai driver, shared the Red Bull Racing garage with 2021 world champion Verstappen before Sergio Perez took over. The 25-year-old, who was Red Bull’s reserve driver last year but will return to the grid with Williams in 2022, believes that while Verstappen’s speed is undeniable, it is the Dutchman’s mental strength that truly distinguishes him.

“Mentally, he’s amazing,” Albon told motorsport-total.com. “What surprised me more than anything was his ability not to worry. He just drives the car and doesn’t think about the consequences or anything else that’s going on.”

Last year, when Verstappen was embroiled in an extraordinarily tight world championship battle with Lewis Hamilton, Albon stated that mental toughness became evident. “When Max finished behind Lewis, he said ‘Ok, never mind’. If he was leading or he won a race, it was ‘ok, it still doesn’t matter’,” he explained.

All of the off-track drama and media attention, according to Albon, did not detract on Verstappen’s performance. “I’m inspired by that because it’s not easy to be in the limelight as much as he is,” said the British-born Thai driver.

Verstappen win ‘karma’, says Albon

While Alex Albon understands Lewis Hamilton’s anguish, he believes Max Verstappen’s victory in 2021 was karma. In an intense season-long struggle for the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen and Hamilton went head-to-head, and in keeping with a year of twists and turns, the most dramatic was saved for the last race in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton seized the lead from Verstappen at the start, and after an unsuccessful Verstappen challenge to reclaim P1, Hamilton went on to dominate the race for the rest of the way.

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“I understand both sides of the story, but I have to say I’m a bit of a believer. I feel many decisions or moments this year have gone against Max,” former Red Bull driver Albon told Motorsport.com.

“Just look at Silverstone, Hungary, Jeddah and even the first lap in Abu Dhabi. So yes, we were incredibly lucky at the last minute, but at the same time I think we earned that luck. Nothing against Lewis and Mercedes, but in a way we got the karma we deserved as a team that Sunday. That’s how most things balance out over a season.”