No hard feelings between Max Verstappen and Alex Albon as the Williams driver clears the air about his previous comments

Alex Albon recently clarified the controversial comments he made about Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

In a journal written by Albon for The Players' Tribune, the the driver discussed his short stint at Red Bull and stated that team developed a car that was built solely around Verstappen, their lead driver. This comment was discussed extensively throughout the F1 fanbase.

Speaking to the Daily Express, Alex Albon clarified his statement, explaining the difference between a car designed around a driver and an excellent driver who wants the car in a certain way. He said:

"I think people get very confused with designing a car around a driver and a driver who’s very, very quick and wants a car a certain way. Of course, you’re going to listen to the driver who’s getting the performance in and getting a good job because the potential is more."

Alex Albon further explained how he did not mean that Red Bull created a car around Max Verstappen. Instead, he meant that Verstappen was able to drive that car in a certain way that clicked with its design and concept. He concluded:

"I’m not going to call myself guilty for it but people misinterpret my words where they think what I'm trying to say is the car is built around him. No, it’s the fact that he can deal with it and he drives it in a certain way. You've got to try and find what he has because at the end of the day he’s making it work. Honestly, that’s the difference."

In his journal for The Players' Tribune, Alex Albon also praised Max Verstappen quite a lot, speculating how he could become the best driver of all time. Furthermore, he also had positive words for his former team, Red Bull.

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Max Verstappen on his battle with Mercedes in the 2023 F1 Australian GP

Max Verstappen explained how both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, pushed extremely hard at the start of the 2023 F1 Australian GP to get ahead. He was well aware that they were pushing simply because they were slower; hence, he was extra careful not to make any mistakes and take his time to overtake them. Speaking to ViaPlay, the Dutchman said:

"I was careful, but on the other hand, I obviously have a lot to lose on that first lap and they obviously try to race very aggressively because they know they are slower. If I have damage, then of course, my whole race is over. Of course, you don't want to lose any spots, but in the end, you see that it doesn't matter much for me. I was very careful, maybe a little too careful. On the other hand, you could see that they were going full out and even if I had driven along on the outside, they would have tried to make it very difficult for me."

Despite an extremely chaotic race, Max Verstappen managed to win at Albert Park for the first time in his F1 career and extend his lead at the top of the Driver Standings.