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NUERBURG, GERMANY – Alexander Albon of Thailand and Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talk in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Eifel Grand Prix at Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
via Getty
NUERBURG, GERMANY – Alexander Albon of Thailand and Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talk in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Eifel Grand Prix at Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Alex Albon driver was given the Toro Rosso seat for the 2019 season after impressive performances in F2. Although he did reasonably well in his first 12 races, a call up to Red Bull came sooner than expected. Young Albon was caught cold; suddenly, he was expected to perform at a very high level, and when that didn’t happen, he lost confidence and spiraled downwards.
Unfortunately, his F1 career fizzled out almost as quickly as it began, and he was eventually dropped in favor of Sergio Perez, and was also handed a reserve and test driver role while also signing up for the DTM series. However, his F2 rival and close friend George Russell believes fans haven’t seen the last of Albon yet.
The Williams F1 driver said, “I’m in contact with Alex all the time, he is one of my closest mates.
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Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Williams’ George Russell arrives at the circuit ahead of practice REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
“Alex is a great driver who had a very tough time at Red Bull for a number of reasons. But he’ll be back in F1 I’m sure in the near future.”
However, talking about Albon’s task for the season, the DTM races, Russell warns the Anglo-Thai driver to not take the races lightly.
Also Read: George Russell Explains Motivation Behind Joining GPDA Alongside Vettel
George Russell warns Alex Albon of the tough challenges he’ll face
The DTM series is a touring car series and not an open-wheeled single-seater series like F1. Obviously, that would mean a very different type of car, and hence, a challenge. However, the talent on the grid is also another thing that Russell advises Albon to be wary about.
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#DTMnews F1 driver @alex_albon and young @LiamLawson30 will be racing in the DTM with @redbull backing. Albon will be participating in selected races whenever his F1 duties as test and replacement driver allows. The driver Albon will be alternating with will be announced later. pic.twitter.com/n8my9KOMme
— DTM (@DTM) January 4, 2021
George said, “DTM is an incredibly tough championship. It is very different to Formula One. And those guys are top of their game in what they do so he’s actually got quite a tough challenge on his hands because he’s having to learn a new discipline.”
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However, this series presents Albon with an opportunity to remain in touch with racing and if he manages to achieve major success here, then he has a shot at getting an F1 drive next year. Even former Force India driver Paul di Resta followed this path into F1.
It certainly will be intriguing to see how Albon’s career progresses from here on. He definitely has the talent, pace, and skill to be in F1. But the question is if he can impress people enough to get back into the series.
