Williams star Alex Albon has opened up about his time alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, and revealed what really separates the world champion from the rest of the grid in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible.
Despite the statement signing of Carlos Sainz from Ferrari in the summer, it has been Albon who has been the shining light for Williams in the opening six races of the season.
Albon sits eighth in the driver standings after his fifth-place finish at the Miami Grand Prix, putting him 23 points ahead of his Spanish teammate.
The 2025 season marks Albon's sixth in F1, but it hasn't always been an easy ride for the Thai driver with him missing the 2021 season after being replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
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Albon finished 109 points behind Verstappen in the 2020 standings and secured two podiums compared to the Dutchman's 11.
Since Albon and Verstappen parted ways, the reigning world champion has won 53 Grand Prix, along with four World Championships, putting him alongside the greatest to ever race in F1.
Verstappen has 'unteachable' quality
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, the Williams driver revealed what separates Verstappen from the other 19 drivers on the grid.
“I think that when I first worked with Max it’s his execution around laps and getting at one with the car and connecting with it," Albon explained.
“He’s totally aware of everything around it and there is no loss of confidence, he has a very incredible feeling with the car."
The 29-year-old revealed it was almost impossible to keep up with Verstappen when working alongside him due to the 'unteachable' abilities he possesses.
“It’s not something that you can just learn, you see it but you can’t pick it up," Albon stressed.
"So for me it was just trying to get into a place with the car and getting comfortable in the car and committed into the car to get to that feeling he was in."
With Verstappen destroying everyone who has ever occupied the garage next to him, many within the sport have speculated that the Red Bull car is specifically tailored to Max and Max only.
However, Albon disputes this and insists that it is purely the talent of Verstappen that results in the performance difference between the two Red Bull cars.
He added: “That’s the enigma of Max it doesn’t really matter what car you give him, he can get comfortable and extract the most performance out of it.”
Albon's theory would be backed up by Verstappen's recent outing at the Nurburgring in a Ferrari 296 GT3 while using the alter ego of 'Franz Hermann'.
Despite never racing at the iconic 14-mile track before, Verstappen broke the GT3 lap record inside just three laps.
Topics: Max Verstappen, Formula 1, Red Bull Racing, Motorsport, Spotlight
Tom Jenkins