Alexander Albon recalls his own time at Red Bull and reveals that Yuki Tsunoda is currently facing very similar problems to those he himself experienced a few years ago.
Williams Formula 1 driver Alexander Albon spoke about Yuki Tsunoda’s current situation at Red Bull on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast and revealed that he is in regular contact with the Japanese driver.
Albon made his Formula 1 debut in 2019 with Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) alongside Daniil Kvyat. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull confirmed that Albon would replace Pierre Gasly at the Milton Keynes-based team in the middle of the season. At the time, the team said it wanted to use the rest of the 2019 season to evaluate Albon’s performance and decide who would drive alongside Max Verstappen in 2020.
The Thai-British driver retained his cockpit at Red Bull in 2020, but was demoted to the role of test and reserve driver in 2021 after being replaced by Sergio Perez.
Tsunoda now finds himself in a similar position to Albon at the time. The Japanese driver replaced rookie Liam Lawson after just two races of the 2025 season at Red Bull and is now fighting for a contract for 2026.
Rumor has it that Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar will get the coveted seat alongside Verstappen in 2026, while Lawson and Tsunoda will compete for a Racing Bulls cockpit alongside Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad.
Albon: I have a “great relationship” with Tsunoda
“I can understand that,” Albon explains when asked about the difficulties of being Verstappen’s teammate. “I see that very clearly,” says Albon, who recalls: “When I was at Red Bull, I joined the team six months into my Formula 1 career.”
He says he only “realized in hindsight that I was in a difficult situation. I had a car I didn’t feel comfortable with, and I didn’t know how to get out of it because I didn’t have the experience.”
“I struggled with it, but my level of experience and maturity as a person at the time weren’t enough to understand how I could overcome this situation. Today, I see it more clearly and recognize those same feelings. I talk to Yuki a lot and try to help him in every way I can.”
Albon emphasizes: “We have a great relationship, and I really like Yuki a lot. But it’s tough. I think on the other side of the garage sits possibly the best driver who has ever driven a Formula 1 car.“
”That’s a big statement, I know, but I really mean it,“ says Albon, who says of Verstappen: ”He can drive a car that’s not comfortable to drive, and I think he can hide a lot of problems.”
