Alex Albon to celebrate his 100th F1 GP in Austin: “I remember my first race like it was yesterday”. Alex Albon reflected on his past, recalling the emotions and most satisfying achievements of his F1 career.

100 races in F1
This year’s United States Grand Prix will hold special significance for Alex Albon, the 28-year-old Williams driver and future teammate of Carlos Sainz. The Anglo-Thai driver will reach the milestone of 100 GPs in Formula 1 after a career that began in 2019 with Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and Williams, interrupted only in 2021 to focus on the DTM championship: “It’s interesting because I think we do so many races a year now that 100 GPs don’t take long to achieve – he told F1.com – but at the same time, it’s still an important milestone. I think my journey hasn’t been as smooth as that of other drivers on the grid. I think most of them have already reached 100 races, not many don’t get to 100, so I’m still one of the relatively inexperienced drivers, even though I’m about to reach 100. When I pass this milestone, I’ll reflect a little on the ups and downs of my Formula 1 career so far. But, at the same time, you don’t get a trophy for it!” – he explained.

From the 1st GP against lifelong rivals
100 races in his career, although the emotion of the first (which he finished in 14th place in Australia) is never forgotten, just like the ‘surreal’ feeling of still competing on track against drivers that Alex Albon already faced as a youngster in junior categories: “I remember it like it was yesterday – he confirmed about his first GP – I think it’s the moment I remember best from my entire career because of the meaning it had for me to be in Formula 1. It was truly incredible. In a way, we’re all still here. It’s one thing to become an F1 driver, another to stay in F1. When I look back, I don’t just see the three of us (referring to himself, George Russell, and Lando Norris), but also Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly… many of us raced against each other, and so still racing against each other is, in some ways, surreal.” – he added.

The three best races
The inevitable question came about which were the best races of Alex Albon’s career, with the Anglo-Thai summarizing them by naming three: “The first, but I think every driver would say the same – he noted – is tied to the emotions of being a Formula 1 driver for the first time. The second would be my first podium at Mugello in 2020. It wasn’t an easy race for me, it wasn’t an easy year, but that weekend I was really strong. Unfortunately, it felt more like a weight off my shoulders than savoring the moment itself, but it was still an incredible feeling to be on the podium and see the Thai flag behind me, it was really nice. And then the last would be a bit more obscure. It would be my first race after returning to Formula 1 with Williams (Bahrain 2022). Not the race itself, but the qualifying. I think that year we were already starting off at a disadvantage and thought we’d qualify P19 and P20, but in the end, we made it to Q2, which, at the time, doesn’t seem like much. But I remember back then there was a lot of pressure on me to bounce back and show people what I could do. It was more of a personal benchmark for myself, to have the feeling that I’d done a great job and belonged in the group, so yeah, that moment was very important.” – the Williams driver concluded.