Five things you need to know about Alex Albon

Preparations for the 2022 Formula One World Championship are starting to ramp up, with the new season not just bringing us a dramatically redesigned car, we’ll also have a fresh face in one of our cockpits.

To celebrate Alex Albon’s first official day at our Grove headquarters this week, we’ve put together a handy list of five things you should know about our new racer.

Alex started racing in karts at the age of eight and it didn’t take him long to be competing at the front.

After stepping up to cadet class in 2006, he won the Super 1 National Honda Cadet Championship at the first attempt, finishing as runner-up the following season.

As he continued to make his way up the ladder, yet more titles came his way. Alongside winning the CIK-FIA World Cup and CIK-FIA European Championship Kartmasters, he also celebrated triumphs in the Kartmasters British Grand Prix, Formula Kart Stars Championship, KF Winter Series and the Super 1 National KF3 Championship.

Alex will once again be partnering up with Nicholas Latifi for the 2022 campaign. Yes, we said once again. Fans of Formula Two will know exactly what we’re on about – Alex and Nicky both drove for DAMS in 2018.

Together they amassed 303 points across the 24-race season, enough to fire the French outfit to third in the teams’ championship. And three really was the magic number for Alex that year, as he also finished third in the drivers’ standings.

With four race wins and a further four podium finishes, Alex won the bragging rights between the pair four years ago, but our man from Montreal didn’t go without tasting champagne that season. A win at Spa-Francorchamps was bolstered by a second and third-place finish, sharing the celebrations alongside Alex twice.

The affectionate nickname for our new man at Grove, the use of ‘Albono’ became mainstream during the first lockdown of 2020. As drivers turned to Esports to keep themselves busy, the now infamous ‘Twitch Quartet’ was born.

Alex, one quarter of this rabble, would be joined online by Lando Norris, George Russell and Charles Leclerc. The jokes, stories and in-game drama were viewed by thousands across the globe as we all remained firmly stuck inside.

The F1 eSports Virtual Grand Prix series was soon launched and it gave fans a chance to scratch that racing itch. The series returned in early 2021 with plenty more thrills and spills.

As for Albono, just be careful not to mention a certain Real Madrid goalkeeper around him.

We all like to unwind when we’re not at work, and Formula One drivers are no exception. When Alex isn’t travelling the world, going from race to race or popping into Grove, you might just see him playing a quick 18 holes down at the nearest golf course. This is where things take a slight turn – his coach is also his girlfriend, who is none other than LPGA star Lily Muni.

The pair’s rookie campaigns in their individual pursuits both came in 2019, but there are certainly no arguments when it comes to who is better at driving when it’s from a tee box. Alex has gone on the record to say he’s not great (in fact the term ‘terrible’ was used), but practice makes perfect!

Alex, who was born in London, has been racing under the flag of Thailand, the birthplace of his mother. When he made his debut at the pinnacle of motorsport in 2019, he became just the second F1 driver in history to represent the South East Asian country.

You would have to look back to the early 1950s for the only time a Thai national raced in the sport, and it was a right royal affair – Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, or simply Prince Bira, competed 19 times between 1950 and 1954.

Prince Bira achieved a career-best finish of P4, meaning Alex’s two podium finishes make him the most successful driver ever to represent the nation.