Formula 1

Red Bull chief slams door on F1 star joining Max Verstappen – “Had his chance”

On Aug 30, 2023

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Helmut Marko appeared to close the door on the prospect of Alex Albon ever returning to Red Bull as he “had his chance” in the past.

The British-Thai racer was still very new to Formula 1 when he was promoted to the top team from sister outfit AlphaTauri. And he was given more of a chance than the man he replaced mid-season, Pierre Gasly.

But Albon still couldn’t make it stick. He did enough in the second half of that 2019 campaign to earn a full season as Max Verstappen’s team-mate but, despite a couple of podiums, he was replaced and spent the following year on the sidelines, his F1 future in doubt.

Aided by Red Bull, he landed a race seat with Williams for last season and was very impressive, earning a new multi-year deal with the team. And he has built on that with some more very impressive performances so far this term.

His form has attracted the interest of other teams including two who tried but failed to sign him for this season. Paddock rumours suggest he is on Ferrari’s list of potential replacements if one of its drivers were to leave in the next couple of years, but it seems a return to Red Bull is not on the cards.

Long-serving adviser Marko appears to have confirmed as much. The Austrian heaped praise upon Albon, but suggested his team is not interested in living in the past and would prefer to consider other options.

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He said: “Max’s team-mate has a very tough and difficult life. Albon has already had his chance. He has improved remarkably since then, but at the moment there is no driver who is on Max’s level.”

Albon recently admitted he is flattered by links to top teams, but reaffirmed his commitment to Williams. He said: “Good rumours are always nice. I think it just underscores that the year has been going well so far. I’m just happy to hear those things. Of course, it’s just rumours, but I’m not complaining.”

In another recent interview, he added: “The focus is on Williams and making sure we bring this team up to the front. And then let’s see what happens. I want to go forward and the team wants to progress, I’m sure the team also in some ways understands if there is another avenue to go down, they wouldn’t hold me back for a long time.”