Alex Albon Exclusive Preview - "THIS is F1"

Ahead of the release of our podcast with F1 driver, Alex Albon, this is an exclusive first listen which details Alex’s first ever appearance on an F1 grid, leading to him gaining a seat with the prestigious Red Bull Racing team.

The full episode covers Alex’s career to date, his ambitions for the future, and the incidents, struggles and circumstances which have challenged him and helped him to grow.

To hear the full episode right now, download The High Performance App at this link:

https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/app-link

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## Exclusive Preview: Alex Albon's Journey to Formula One

**Introduction**

In this exclusive preview of the High Performance podcast episode featuring Formula One driver Alex Albon, we delve into his remarkable journey to the prestigious Red Bull Racing team.

**Alex's First F1 Appearance**

Alex Albon's first appearance on an F1 grid was a nerve-wracking experience. During his initial test drive in Barcelona, he spun and ended up in a gravel trap. This incident highlighted the intense pressure and scrutiny that comes with being an F1 driver.

**Finding Focus Amidst the Pressure**

Despite the immense pressure, Albon finds solace and focus once he puts on his helmet. He describes the unique feeling of isolation and tranquility he experiences inside the car, allowing him to block out distractions and concentrate solely on his performance.

**Transition from Toro Rosso to Red Bull**

Albon's career took an unexpected turn when he received a call from Helmut Marko, informing him that he would be replacing Pierre Gasly at Red Bull Racing. This sudden change came as a surprise to Albon, who was finding his rhythm at Toro Rosso.

**Exclusive Content on the High Performance App**

To listen to the full conversation with Alex Albon, including his detailed account of his F1 journey, ambitions, struggles, and insights, download the High Performance app from the App Store.

**Conclusion**

This exclusive preview offers a glimpse into the world of Formula One and the challenges faced by drivers like Alex Albon. The full episode, available on the High Performance app, provides an in-depth exploration of Albon's career and the factors that have shaped his success.

[00:00.000 -> 00:07.720] Hey, how you doing? It's Jake here. I am so happy to be bringing you a preview of our
[00:07.720 -> 00:13.100] latest episode of High Performance with the Formula One driver, Alex Albon, who is having
[00:13.100 -> 00:18.400] a brilliant season for Williams. We actually recorded with Alex twice, would you believe,
[00:18.400 -> 00:22.960] which is a first for High Performance. So the first time we sat down and spoke, it was
[00:22.960 -> 00:25.540] actually just 48 hours after that exhaustingly
[00:25.540 -> 00:30.560] hot race in Qatar. And Alex came in the room and told us in great detail, actually, just
[00:30.560 -> 00:34.940] how difficult that race was. But then when we finished the conversation, he and his team
[00:34.940 -> 00:40.040] got in touch a couple of days later and said that there was more to discuss, that there
[00:40.040 -> 00:44.440] was areas that we hadn't gone to, and Alex is really passionate about them. So there's
[00:44.440 -> 00:46.000] actually two halves to this
[00:46.000 -> 00:48.200] conversation, and I think you're going to love them both.
[00:48.200 -> 00:52.440] They're both very different, but they both reveal so much about a man who is having
[00:52.640 -> 00:56.960] one of the standout seasons in F1, despite the fact that he's in a car that at times
[00:57.160 -> 01:00.880] struggles for pace. So we're going to play you a clip of what we discuss with Alex
[01:01.080 -> 01:08.780] in a moment. But before that, something that's quite exciting is that in the last few days we've launched the High Performance app and actually
[01:08.780 -> 01:13.300] you can hear the full episode with Alex on the app right now so you don't have
[01:13.300 -> 01:17.260] to wait until we release it. If you want to do that just download the app for
[01:17.260 -> 01:20.980] free from the App Store and it's all there along with loads of other
[01:20.980 -> 01:25.760] exclusive content. But right now, here's a little exclusive teaser
[01:25.760 -> 01:28.480] of what Alex told us about life in F1.
[01:30.000 -> 01:34.960] Formula One is so cutthroat, it's your only moments. You can't mess up. There's drivers
[01:34.960 -> 01:41.920] who take a bit too long in the championship to get going. It was just, can I get up to speed
[01:41.920 -> 01:45.000] quick enough? I did have that self-belief that I would be
[01:45.000 -> 01:49.920] quick enough but did I have the time to get there. There was this huge build up. I remember
[01:49.920 -> 01:58.000] arriving to the first test. It was as I said Barcelona. Nervous of course but excited to
[01:58.000 -> 02:03.320] drive this Formula 1 car. I come out the pit lane. I do three corners and I spin and I
[02:03.320 -> 02:05.160] put it into the gravel trap and I
[02:05.160 -> 02:10.480] remember I was like oh god okay I've spun before no big deal but then you come in
[02:10.480 -> 02:14.480] to the garage there's like a medical car to take you in and there's
[02:14.480 -> 02:19.960] like 20 cameras just waiting for you and I was like wow this is F1. It sounds
[02:19.960 -> 02:24.160] that you're aware of the demands that are being placed on you in this seat,
[02:24.160 -> 02:25.480] the consequences
[02:25.480 -> 02:30.400] of spinning are evident with all those photographers waiting for you when you come back in.
[02:30.400 -> 02:37.580] But you're describing the moment you put the helmet on, you're focused on your own abilities.
[02:37.580 -> 02:47.600] How do you quieten that voice that is nagging away with that in a doubt? It's strange, but I think racing cars are quite unique
[02:48.300 -> 02:50.800] where we are our own person.
[02:51.400 -> 02:54.400] We put our helmets on and soon as that helmet goes on
[02:55.000 -> 02:57.900] and our earplugs go in, we're alone.
[02:58.600 -> 03:00.600] It's quite an intimate sport.
[03:00.700 -> 03:02.500] There's no feeling like anyone's watching you.
[03:02.500 -> 03:04.000] At least I don't feel like anyone's watching me.
[03:04.000 -> 03:05.000] I don't feel like anyone's watching me.
[03:05.000 -> 03:08.160] I don't feel like my engineers, even though they're talking to me, they're not there with
[03:08.160 -> 03:09.920] me.
[03:09.920 -> 03:14.680] And maybe it is this feeling of being slightly introverted, but it's actually where I feel
[03:14.680 -> 03:18.060] the most calm, the most focused.
[03:18.060 -> 03:21.960] When you go into the car, that's my space, that's where I belong.
[03:21.960 -> 03:23.920] So everything goes away at that point.
[03:23.920 -> 03:28.120] It went away and things went well and you represented yourself brilliantly and then
[03:28.120 -> 03:33.120] you suddenly have another change come to your career. You're no longer a Toro Rosso driver,
[03:33.120 -> 03:35.480] you're one phone call from being a Red Bull driver.
[03:35.480 -> 03:40.720] It's a very odd situation where I was getting started to get very comfortable. Toro Rosso
[03:40.720 -> 03:46.360] started off well, had a good first test and then the first few races started to have some good races.
[03:46.360 -> 03:48.680] I qualified my teammate a few times.
[03:48.680 -> 03:51.920] The pressure, every race was becoming less and less.
[03:51.920 -> 03:54.240] I knew after the first race, I knew I belonged.
[03:54.240 -> 03:59.600] I knew I've got what it takes and I do genuinely believe in myself.
[03:59.600 -> 04:04.480] And then summer break comes around and then I get the same guy, Helmut Marcos calls me
[04:04.480 -> 04:05.440] back to his
[04:05.440 -> 04:07.720] office this time in Austria.
[04:07.720 -> 04:08.720] That's a bit more serious.
[04:08.720 -> 04:10.160] You had no idea why?
[04:10.160 -> 04:11.160] No idea why.
[04:11.160 -> 04:17.800] I thought it was to go through my residency because he was helping me move to Monaco and
[04:17.800 -> 04:22.440] it was the same conversation so he spent the whole time talking to me about this one thing
[04:22.440 -> 04:28.360] and then just as the meeting ends he goes, oh the way, you're in the Red Bull seat.
[04:28.360 -> 04:33.360] Honestly, Alex Albon is one of the nicest guys in Formula One. I've known him for a
[04:33.360 -> 04:37.800] number of years. I've spoken to him a lot. Never have I had this kind of conversation.
[04:37.800 -> 04:41.520] So just to remind you, we sat down and spoke with Alex. We then sat down again a couple
[04:41.520 -> 04:45.080] of weeks later, just after he'd come back from Brazil, and
[04:45.080 -> 04:46.080] we spoke again.
[04:46.080 -> 04:49.240] If you want to hear the whole conversation with Alex right now, you can do that.
[04:49.240 -> 04:53.880] Just download the High Performance app for free from the App Store, or you can wait until
[04:53.880 -> 04:55.760] it's released in just a few days time.
[04:55.760 -> 04:59.880] Listen, thank you so much for listening, and please do keep checking back on the High Performance
[04:59.880 -> 05:00.880] feed.
[05:00.880 -> 05:02.800] There are so many incredible episodes coming up.
[05:02.800 -> 05:04.760] I can't wait to share them with you.
[05:04.760 -> 05:08.680] Thanks for listening.