Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

Red Bull replaced Alex Albon with Sergio Perez ahead of the 2021 season after Max Verstappen convincingly beat the Thai driver over the one-and-a-half years they were teammates. However, even though Albon had to leave his seat after Verstappen‘s constant dominance, the current Williams driver has praised the Dutchman.

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Albon said on the F1: Beyond The Grid podcast, “Different drivers respond very differently. So I think some drivers need that kind of prod, other drivers I’m sure totally opposite if they can be in a happy place that’s where they perform the best.”

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Following this, the 27-year-old further added, “So for me somewhere in the middle. I think what I’ve learned is the more I focus on being in the present, not worry about the other side and that kind of thing, that’s how I perform the best, but at the same time I love that fight, I enjoy the competition.”

Albon’s F1 journey began in the Red Bull ecosystem with Toro Rosso (now Visa Cash App RB). He made his debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. However, after just a few races with the Faenza-based team, Red Bull promoted him to the senior team, where he replaced Pierre Gasly mid-season.

Alex Albon believes he earned the promotion to Red Bull very early

Red Bull brought in Alex Albon just after the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix. It was decided that he would make his debut in the very next race in Belgium and continue till the end of the season. However, Albon failed to justify his switch as he claimed just 76 points after the first nine races.

The Thai driver believes that it was Red Bull’s early promotion that made it difficult for him to adjust. Despite struggling from the very beginning, he kept his seat in 2020 and scored 105 points compared to Max Verstappen’s 214 that year.

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The primary reason why most experts believe that Verstappen has been able to beat his teammates at Red Bull convincingly so far is that the team reportedly builds the car in a fashion that suits the 26-year-old’s driving style. As a result, whoever teams with Verstappen often struggles to adjust.

Although such is the notion, it was Albon who debunked the myth surrounding it during a conversation on the High-Performance Podcast last year. The Thai driver explained that while the “car is what it is,” the three-time world champion’s ability to adjust to it is what makes the difference.