Max Verstappen and Alex Albon share a talk in the paddock. (Image: Getty)
Max Verstappen might be romping towards a fourth straight F1 world title but he’s not the driver that Alex Albon fears the most on the track. Following his superb win at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Red Bull man is 62 points clear of Lando Norris with just three races remaining in 2024.
The Dutchman ignored the criticism of his driving style in Brazil, after he was handed two separate time penalties for incidents in the previous race in Mexico.
But the 27-year-old has refuted suggestions he should change his aggressive approach, which became infamous during the 2021 campaign as he went toe-to-toe in the title race with Lewis Hamilton.
But Williams man Albon has now snubbed Verstappen when asked what rival he feared the most in his rear-view mirror. “Kevin Magnussen,” he replied on Motorsport.com’s TikTok channel. “We’re on track a lot together and it’s always tough.”
The Haas driver has also fallen foul of the rules this season. He became the first F1 driver in 2024 to receive a race ban after racking up 12-points on the FIA’s Super Licence system, causing him to miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
And Albon has been involved in one of his flashpoints. At the Dutch Grand Prix in August, he complained over team radio about the Dane boxing him in on he track, and also implied it wasn’t the first time it had happened.
“They’re boxing me in (Magnussen and Haas) on purpose, I don’t know why,” he said, before going on to finish 14th. “Again, it’s just dangerous. Like really dangerous. Just like Monaco.”
Regardless, the former Red Bull driver won’t have to worry about battling Magnussen in 2025. The 32-year-old will be axed by the American team at the end of the season, with Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon taking up the two seats in 2025.
However, Albon did name the champion elect when pressed on who was the hardest competitor to overtake. “Max Verstappen, yeah,” said the 28-year-old. “Definitely the more aggressive defender out there.”
The British-Thai driver partnered Verstappen at Christian Horner’s team in 2019, coming in mid-season following the demotion of Pierre Gasly. He kept his seat for the following campaign, but was replaced by Sergio Perez after finishing seventh in the standings.
After spending that year as the team’s reserve driver, he then signed for Williams. Unlike Magnussen, Albon will still be in F1 come next season, and will be partnered at Williams by outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
