Marko: "Albon is like Coulthard, who wasn't hard enough in the end".
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Alexander Albon 's star was rising when he made his Formula One debut at Toro Rosso in 2019. After just six months, he made the switch to Red Bull Racing at the expense of Pierre Gasly, but ultimately the British Thai didn't last long either. Helmut Marko talks about that period.
Red Bull Racing chose to part with Albon after the 2020 season, a difficult decision. After all, it was the second of Red Bull Racing's own juniors to be forced out. While Gasly still had a place at AlphaTauri after his demotion, Albon had to watch everything from the sidelines for a year.
When the 26-year-old was in a good position, he was not so lucky. Marko knows that too. "Lewis Hamilton didn't destroy his career, but he did put a dampener on it. He was in second place in Brazil in 2019 when Hamilton drove him off the track. Then Alex wanted to pass Hamilton on the outside at the Red Bull Ring in 2020 but got pushed into the gravel."
Albon still has a way to go
Albon would have won that race in Austria, but in the end, he was empty-handed. According to Marko, it did take a while for Albon to get over that. On behalf of Red Bull, he never managed to win in the premier class. He was only able to get on the podium twice, at Mugello and in Bahrain.
Albon now works for Williams. There he has impressed, systematically beating teammate Nicholas Latifi. Albon has collected three points in ten Grands Prix. Marko: "Alex is very fast, but I wonder if he’s too nice. He’s a bit like David Coulthard, who everyone likes, but wasn’t tough enough in the end", he concludes at The Red Bulletin.