Alexander Albon says he understands why Daniel Ricciardo chose to leave F1 for a year rather than pursue driving with a team at the back of the grid.
Daniel Ricciardo, who will lose his McLaren F1 seat for 2023, has made it clear he is not seriously interested in potential opportunities with teams such as Haas and Williams.
Instead, Daniel Ricciardo has decided to take a step back and find new motivation ahead of his expected return to F1 in 2024 after spending a year in the role of third driver 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 been hungry for about a week after leaving or being removed.”
“But I understand 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, above all, myself. It puts a strain on performance, we were born to be competitive and we’re hungry for it.”
“This is what we live for. It’s about performance. It’s about doing a good job. So it’s very heavy and it takes weeks to get over the emotional impact of losing your job. I think
“But I was young and felt like it would never end, and I knew I had a chance to come back, and I think that’s probably what Mick[Schumacher]he is trying 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 figure out 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 you kind of have to find the sweet spot about it, because you want to be pushy about certain aspects. I think people act differently. Culturally, mentally, personally, I think it’s important to have a performance. There’s a way retire
“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 we’ll get to know them more as we get closer to next year. I’ve just finished my first year with the team and I’m relatively new here.
“And then the real focus is getting to the nitty-gritty and focusing on doing a good job for next year and really lifting the whole team up and pushing everybody forward.”
Category: F1 / Alexander Albon / Daniel Ricardo
