Alexander Albon says he understands why Daniel Ricciardo chose to leave F1 for a year rather than pursue a drive with a team at the back of the grid.
Daniel Ricciardo, who is set to lose his McLaren F1 seat for 2023, has made it clear that he is not seriously interested in potential opportunities with teams like Haas and Williams.
Instead, Daniel Ricciardo has opted to take a step back and find new motivation ahead of his expected return to the F1 race seat in 2024 after spending a year in the third driver role at Red Bull Racing.
Alexander Albon, who spent a year on the sidelines for 2021 before joining the Williams F1 team last season, understands why Ricciardo felt it would be beneficial to step away from racing.
“I was in a slightly different position,” said Alexander Albon when asked if he could narrow down Daniel Ricciardo’s situation.
“I may have felt hungry for a week or so after leaving or being removed.”
“But I get what he’s saying. I can talk about my experience in 2020 when I had a bad year in Formula 1, but the noise in the paddock and, of course, most of all, myself. It puts a lot of strain on performance, we were born to be competitive and we are hungry for it.”
“That’s what we live for. It’s all about performance. It’s all about doing a good job. So it’s very heavy and it takes weeks to get over the emotional impact of losing your seat. I think
“But I was young and I felt it was never over, and I knew I had a chance to come back, and I think that’s probably what Mick[Schumacher]is feeling now. In a way, it’s basically like, ‘OK, I feel like I have a lot to prove and when I come back’.”
After returning to Formula 1, Alexander Albon said it took him some time to get used to the Williams F1 environment and to understand how to work effectively with his new colleagues.
“We need to get the most out of everyone and make sure everyone is heading in the right direction in terms of where the car needs to go and where the performance needs to go. said Alexander Albon.
“And in a way you have to find the sweet spot about it, because you want to be pushy on certain aspects. I think people act differently. Culturally, mentally, personally, I think it’s important to have a performance. There is a way to withdraw
“Until you get to know people on a personal level, personally, you can’t do that. And that takes time. You have to get to know them a little bit more and be able to have a long conversation. It was dinner and Factory. In conversations at
“I have a feeling that we’ll get to know them more as we head into next year. I’ve just finished my first year with the team and I’m relatively new here.
“And then the real focus is to get to the core and focus on doing a good job for next year and really lifting the whole team and pushing everyone forward.”
Category: F1 / Alexander Albon / Daniel Ricardo