F1 News: Helmut Marko Takes Aim At Lewis Hamilton Issuing Blame For Alex Albon's Red Bull Downfall
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, recently attributed some of the difficulties in Alex Albon's time at Red Bull to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
Albon, currently leading at Williams, faced a challenging season at Red Bull in 2020 which resulted in his departure from the team. Marko traced part of this decline to two on-track incidents involving Hamilton, which he suggests dealt a significant blow to Albon's confidence.
The British-Thai driver joined Red Bull during 2019, impressively filling the gap left by Pierre Gasly. But a couple of collisions with Hamilton during the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix and the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix seemed to hamper Albon’s progress.
Marko spoke on the Inside Line podcast, stating:
“Alex, I have to say, was really unlucky.
“In Brazil, he was fighting for second position when Hamilton turned him around.
“Fine, it didn’t help Alex. But he lost his podium.
“And the next, which was more severe, was in Austria, when Alex was fighting for the win when, again, it was turned around by Hamilton.
“That hit his confidence massively… massively.
“Second, or even the win, was on the table. Someone took the glory away. That made it difficult from this moment, his self-confidence was down and we needed someone we knew to fight for the championship, we needed two solid drivers.”
Marko was part of the decision-making process which saw Albon replaced by Sergio Perez in 2021. However, Albon continued to contribute to Red Bull as a reserve driver, playing a key role in Verstappen's championship win through his work on the simulator and development.
Recognising his efforts, Red Bull backed Albon in the driver market, ultimately leading to his current position at Williams.