Verstappen has no weaknesses, says Albon
Williams driver Alexander Albon claims that reigning world champion Max Verstappen does not have any weakness which makes him one of the best drivers on the current grid.
The Thai driver was part of the Red Bull familty, and he even raced for the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2019 and 2020. However, after a successful start to his stint at Red Bull, he was unable to match his team-mate Verstappen's pace and failed to deliver consistent performance.
At the end of the 2020 season, the Anglo-Austrian team elected to part ways with Albon, and replace him with Mexican driver Sergio Perez. Asked in Monaco of what he could learn from the three-time world champion, Albon said that he can't pinpoint a specific area as Verstappen does not appear to have any strengths that would stand out.
"I would say mostly, you know, the first thing was the feeling of being up to speed all the time. I think from the first lap, I think you see it, even in FP1s, there's quite a big push on for Max to set purples early on. And he's just quick. I think there's not really anything to it.
"As Max has said, it's something that we all strive for. It's not having weaknesses. And, you know, whenever you do have a weakness, you work on it and you try to get rid of it. I think Max has kind of not got an area where you can really find an edge, so it makes it difficult," said the Thai driver.
Despite his utterly dominant form since the introduction of the ground effect cars in 2022, Verstappen and his team have been challenged recently with McLaren and Ferrari having closed in on the reigning champion team. In Imola, McLaren appeared to have the upper hand in qualifying, but Verstappen came out on top with the help of a slipstream provided by Nico Hulkenberg.
However, the entire race weekend was more challenging for Red Bull than they hoped for. The RB20 looked nervous on the opening day which saw Verstappen lose the back of the car on several occassions. The team managed to find the optimal setup for Saturday, which as Verstappen explains was down to the experience that they have built over the years.
"I find that really difficult to comment on. I can just speak from my experience in Formula 1, where I think over time, you have a lot more experience. I think you know how to handle certain situations a bit better. Plus, being at the front for quite a few years, as a team, also the way we operate, I think it can make a difference to teams that are trying to chase that.
"We just try to stay calm and collected. We know that the last few races teams have been catching up or have beaten us, so of course we want to try and improve as well. But I do think with the experience that we've had over the last few years, it makes us a very tough team to beat in a championship because we don't make many mistakes.
"Of course, naturally, you try to always optimise everything, and that's, I think, in life in general – you keep on learning, you keep on trying to be better. But I think that does make us very dangerous in a championship fight," concluded Verstappen.
