Albon on his successful return at Williams and learning to be “more selfish” · RaceFans

If you’ve never been fortunate enough to meet Alexander Albon in person – and if you ever do, please be considerate if you approach him – it’s easy to be struck by how unassuming he is for a Formula 1 driver.

In a sport where egos run rampant and furious expletives regularly fill the radio waves, Albon stands out as a uniquely calm and considered character among his peers.

Intelligent, thoughtful and deeply introspective, Albon is quicker to wit than to wrath. Who else in the paddock would not think twice to parody Formula 1’s most delicious summer scandal in order to announce his own contract developments while making it genuinely funny, not forced?

But despite his new Williams team having no hesitation in signing him up for a multi-year extension after half a year of his services, the 26-year-old does have his critics. After being unceremoniously dropped by Red Bull and spending a year on the sidelines in 2021, team advisor Helmut Marko openly questioned whether the Anglo-Thai driver was “too nice” to succeed in Formula 1 as recently as one month ago.

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So when RaceFans sat down on a hot summer’s day inside Williams’ impressive new motorhome for an exclusive catch-up with Albon, it only seemed fair to let him respond: Is he too nice?

“I am who I am,” he states, simply. “I can understand what he means by it, I think…”

It’s easy to forget just how rapid a rise to Red Bull Albon experienced. Prompted as much by Pierre Gasly’s struggles as his own successes, the fact he was able to acquit himself competently in a race-winning car after driving only 729 racing laps in his fledgling Formula 1 career was an impressive achievement in itself. But as he would quickly learn, F1 is not the most nurturing professional environment for newcomers – and especially not at the front of the field.

“I think there’s this feeling, in the beginning of my career – especially in Formula 1 – that I got fast-tracked very, very quickly into the top team,” he explains. “Basically, without really a support structure behind me.

“It was kind of myself, my trainer and my family. It’s a tricky position. Everything’s so glamorous. You come in and… I don’t want to say you become a ‘yes’ man, but in that sense that I’m a rookie and I’m kind of learning and it’s all becoming new. Let’s say you’ve got media duties: ‘Yes, of…