F1 | Alex Albon reveals Max Verstappen’s secret: why his driving style makes Red Bull unbeatable. Alex Albon opens up about his time as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull.

Alex Albon shares his experience as Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate

During his time at Red Bull, Alex Albon shared the garage with Max Verstappen. The current Williams driver is one of several who, over the years, have taken the second seat at Milton Keynes without being able to match the level of the Dutch champion.

As Albon has already mentioned in recent interviews, the car is not built around Max Verstappen. Instead, the four-time world champion is the one who adapts his style to make the most of the car in a way that his teammates simply cannot. This season, with Red Bull no longer as dominant as in 2023, Verstappen has shown that even without the best car on the grid, he can still fight for victories.

Albon’s revelation

Speaking on the ‘P1’ podcast, Alex Albon recalled his time alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. He admitted that the comparison with the Dutchman was particularly difficult for a driver who had just started his Formula 1 career. Since moving to Williams, however, the Thai-British driver has managed to find his place and has played a major role in the team’s improved results in recent seasons.

“I tried to understand where he could gain time on a lap. How he managed to stay so consistent with a car that I felt was very demanding. I learned about his pure speed, and I learned why the car he drives is so fast. The direction he takes with the setup generates that lap time.”

Albon also shared some insight into his early days at Williams: “When I arrived at Williams I said: ‘this car is much more stable’. But stability does not always mean it’s faster. You lose time in certain corners because of too much stability. I think I learned a lot in that process.”

Why Verstappen’s driving style is hard to match

Verstappen’s driving style is not easy for teammates to replicate. His results compared to the others who have shared the Red Bull garage are largely the product of meticulous work on the setup, always seeking pure speed even at the cost of car stability. This approach explains why Verstappen continues to extract more performance from the car than anyone else sitting alongside him.