The photo of the dinner together with George Russell, as a compensation for the blockade by Alex Albon in the race, went after the Grand Prix of Monaco Viral – and is still a hot topic on media day in Barcelona:
“Super” was the dinner with the Mercedes pilot, Albon laughs – but he also confirms that such a kind of reparation in glamorous Monaco literally quickly gets to be expensive: “He actually ordered the most expensive dish on the menu, the HummerPasta,” Albon still hurts his wallet.
At least a little bit of mercy with his counterpart still had Russell: “He did without the dessert, so it somehow balanced. It was definitely a nice evening,” says Albon, who was obliged to take the bill after Williams’ stroll tactics.
Albon clears a “miserable race” with a view of Monaco
“It was clear that I would pay – and I should also pay: it was a miserable race,” admits the Thai Brit. For him and team-mate Carlos Sainz, the mostly boring Grand Prix, with the blockade tactics of his racing team and the places nine and ten, still paid off: “It was much worse for others.”
Above all for Russell, who was not able to take any points with him as an eleventh. That is why he does not want to let Albon off his leash on Thursday, announces a lookup in relation to the costly dinner: “Not expensive enough! So the bill has not yet been paid,” grins the Brit, who finally put an end to the tragedy in Monaco through deliberately shortening in the chicane – and got a passage for this.
“To be honest, I was just tired of staring on the rear wing of a Williams for 50 laps. Ironically, I got to the finish through the maneuver at the end, as if I had just stayed behind Alex,” said Russell with a view to his punishment: “In principle, I drove out a whole pit stop in three rounds, and then I was able to drive my own race.”
“Like a grandma”: So Russell had enough at some point
In any case, his weekend after the defect in qualifying was “run early”: “We fought for nothing, eleventh place brings as many points as 20.” That’s why he just wanted to enjoy Monaco at the end: “On Saturday I had no opportunity”, Russell said in relation to “The race with the most adrenaline throughout the year”: “And I had nothing of it. So at least I was able to enjoy the last 25 rounds.”
However, the fact that his conscious violation of the rule was a sign of the rebellion, perhaps even the rejection of the new Mercedes team leader Russell, the Brit does not want to have understood the action: “No, that was not the new George Russell as a rebel who drives – I just had enough of how to watch Alex like a grandma,” he clarifies.
He also knew that he would collect a punishment, “and I also agreed to it, she was deserved,” he clarifies: “Something like this should not be allowed. And as I said: If I had been in the points if I had really driven a position against Alex, I would never have done it.” But the situation was different because of the hopeless: “He had already had two stops, I none yet.”
The Mercedes pilot was aware of the mandatory stops that there would be no way forward: “He only drove so slowly to help his teammate, not to defend himself against myself, but against the drivers around him,” says Russell about Albon: “So I did not do this to have an advantage. I was just boring.”
Criticism came up because of the teams’ tactical games after the new compulsory stop rule-but Albon found: “It was worth trying. I think all of us, teams like drivers, thought that a two-stop race would bring something. But in the end it only moved the standards a bit,” the Williams driver admits: “We really have to think about what you can do to do the racing improve.” So that he doesn’t have to go for dessert sheets next year …