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Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Other F1 Drivers React to Alex Albon’s Maiden Podium

Published 09/14/2020, 7:03 AM EDT

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via Reuters

In a race full of unexpected twists and turns, Alexander Albon making his way onto the podium was a sight for sore eyes. Since his induction into the ranks of Formula 1 drivers, the Anglo-Thai driver featured in 30 races for AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing.

But despite coming close on a few occasions, he had never made it to the podium. But a debut track in Mugello was the one to be for him.

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As gestures of sportsmanship, many competing drivers commented on Albon’s achievement. This included a comment from current World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who wrote “Congrats Man“.

Despite not having the best acceleration pickup in both restarts, Albon found his way to glory. Pulling off bold moves and securing crucial points for the team when the odds are stacked against him is something that the youngster has managed to do a number of times this season.

Alexander Albon’s well-wishers included Norris and Leclerc

The young drivers had been quite active on social media during the lockdown period. By hosting F1 race events on Twitch, the likes of Norris, Leclerc, and Albon developed quite the friendship.

It is also interesting that these drivers have come across each other during their early days in karting and racing. Lando Norris was appreciative on Twitter and said, “So happy for you Alex Albon !! About frikin time!

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Life has definitely not been easy for Alexander Albon at Red Bull Racing thus far. There has been a mix of aspects that have consistently deterred him from winning podiums and races.

One major reason is the lack of pace during quali. The inability to put a lap time that takes him to the front of the grid has often seen him slip down to starting somewhere between P6-P12.

Strong drive from Alexander Albon post Verstappen’s retirement

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After teammate Max Verstappen crashed out in the first lap, the onus was on Albon to save Red Bull’s day. And save he did, while constantly maintaining P4 and later on, putting the pressure on the likes of Ricciardo, Stroll, and Leclerc. Some quick-fire brilliance by the Red Bull support team helped him in the pit stops as well. Eventually, he caught up to Ricciardo and overtook him.

It finally seems like good things might be coming around together for Alex Albon, Only a few days back, Team Principal Christian Horner had stated that he expects Albon to retain his seat for 2021.  And if Albon can keep replicating Mugello’s gutsy performance in the races ahead, then there is no doubt that he will.

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Written by:

Bhargav Gopal

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Hailing from Bengaluru, Bhargav is an F1 and NASCAR author for EssentiallySports. He is a huge fan of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. Bhargav also has an MBA in Sports Management from the Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences, Pune.
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