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Alex Albon spoke about Max Verstappen’s inheritance of the lead under the red flags and the fairness of the rule that allows tire changes under the red flags. According to the former driver, and current reserve, for Red Bull, changing tires under red flags does work well depending on whose favor it works in.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Albon shared his opinion on the rules that allowed Max Verstappen to inherit the lead and said:
“I think it's tricky if it keeps changing all the time, I think it works out well in a weird way. Because with Lewis in Imola and here, it kind of balances itself out I think. Without going into philosophical, the world finds a way to balance itself, as long as it happens at the end, yeah.”
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Albon noted that changing tires under the red flags worked out well for Lewis Hamilton in Silverstone, Imola, and even in Saudi Arabia. The Thai-British racing driver feels the rule is tricky when the lead keeps changing like it did in Saudi Arabia, where initially Max Verstappen inherited it under the first red flag, and it played to Lewis Hamilton’s advantage by the second one.
Max Verstappen’s inheritance of the lead under red flags has caused controversy over the tire-changing rule
Max Verstappen stayed out instead of pitting, anticipating the first red flag in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In doing so, he inherited the lead of the race under the Safety Car, while everyone else stopped for tire changes. The Dutchman changed his tires under red flags, giving him an edge at the race restart.
Since the race in Jeddah, the rule of changing tires under the red flags has drawn flak as it gives an unfair advantage to some drivers. However, while there are many losers in such a situation, it has been advantageous to many others.
On whether the allowance for changing tires is fair, Max Verstappen’s former team-mate Albon said:
“I don’t think it's fair but I think it has to be changed by the end of the year. That is what I think.”
Joking at the possibility of a rule change, Albon preferred it were changed by the end of the 2021 season so he would not have to deal with it when he returns to the F1 grid with Williams in 2022.
