Alex Albon: Thriving With Williams | Beyond the Grid 2024

What does 2025 hold for Alex Albon? How has golf changed his approach to Formula 1? Would he like more competition from his teammate?

The Williams driver answers all those questions and more in his first proper catch-up with Tom Clarkson on F1 Beyond The Grid since 2022.

Albon explains the mindset of being a number two driver at Red Bull Racing compared to being team leader at Williams, how his fitness varies so much throughout the season, and why self-care is the most important part of his preparation.

Plus, Alex explains why he has 13 cats and who the most competitive Padel player in the paddock is.

Chapter markings:
03:42 – Taking a fall in the Netflix Cup golf
08:57 – How Alex stays fit (and awake)
17:06 – Why Alex’s best is yet to come
23:39 – Racing as Verstappen’s teammate
29:25 – Podium chances in ‘intense’ 2024
33:40 – Can Alex name his 15 pets?
39:30 – Where will Alex be in 2025?

For more F1® videos, visit https://www.Formula1.com

Follow F1®:
https://www.instagram.com/F1
https://www.facebook.com/Formula1/
Tweets by F1
https://www.twitch.tv/formula1

@f1

#F1

Alex it’s great to see you again how are you good thank you how are you well I’m Overjoyed that you’ve allowed us into your driver room this is like your prep area don’t worry I didn’t allow you content allowed you um that’s um no of course you’re welcome here this is

Basically not as glamorous as I think you would expect I don’t know what what what you had in mind it’s smaller smaller smaller true and normally what some depends depends how much time the team have before races for example we only have a week here but sometimes I’ll

Carpet it make it feel a bit more homely sometimes we’ll have a sofa but we are on stalls um so yes obviously my lovely yeah five five sets of overalls is that one for each on track session that sounds like I’m a Diva but trust me

There are drivers that have a new suit a session so um we’re not one of them problem is we obviously have a white suit so and listeners can’t see this but um shows the dirt weirdly my bum has remained pretty clean normally you get dirt T marks around your your posterior

A depends how many fast Corners there are yeah so come back after the F1 you’re going to see a bit but um but it is quite bad and uh white suits aren’t that smart but they look good so that’s fine three helmets behind you how many

Helmets do you get through in a season we’re all contracted so uh um we all have different deals with helmet suppliers generally speaking there’s a number they have in mind it’s it’s it’s I don’t know maybe I’m low I bet I bet you I’m lower than theis but I have

About 16 17 helmets a year um I rarely even use that many it’s hard to use that many helmets and you don’t really need it as well because actually it’s nicer to use use helmets because they they soften up a little bit around your your cheeks and your head so it feels more

Comfortable like like a pair of jeans um but otherwise yes I have 16 sometimes I go more depends how adventurous I am with um oneoff designs and and all that kind of thing but we tend to have three you need three one rotation every every week well that’s great Intel and it and

It’s really is good to see you and I was wondering whether you might have developed an American accent over the winter SP so much time in the US yeah I do I I like it though it’s um my girlfriend’s from from La so it’s a little bit easier and it makes more

Sense to go over there um especially when Europe and the UK more than anything is um exceptionally hot so we end up uh hot cold sorry cold I’m getting confused um so it’s nice to go out to LA um you know C City LA is is a

Bit I’m not a big fan but but the subang out um more towards um the north side so calabases um it’s called West Lake people know that area um but in the m mountains more towards Malibu area so it’s some beautiful amazing um cycling roads and um amazing facilities running

Tracks in America Sports is so well done um you know you speak to the high schools or the colleges and they they give you some privileges so it’s it’s very nice and did you get any downtime um I mean that is kind of downtime it it

Sounds weird to say but when we are in the middle of training camp that’s the time away from from thing we’re kind of doing our own thing have our routine um my girlfriend she plays golf um so we’re kind of we saw you in the Netflix Cup

Last year yes yeah yeah it was um the day before the Netflix cup I had to practice um obviously so my girlfriend um is my girlfriend’s coach is actually based in in in Las Vegas so it was perfect so I did a session with him we went to really nice course it’s

Called Shadow Creek it’s like a very um Posh very exclusive course and I couldn’t hit the ball literally missed every single shot this is the day before this is the day before I couldn’t I I was shanking it you know I was just thinking in my head okay there going to

Be a crowd behind us around us I am going to kill someone um luckily you’re overthinking it is what you’re doing I was overthinking it and um the coach said don’t worry um your clubs are a bit short we’ll get you some better clubs and you’ll be fine tomorrow um I didn’t

Believe him because why would you I mean you know it doesn’t really um help but it did or maybe it was just that I needed that little bit more confidence um that was the best I played for a long time and I was glad to be able to do it

In front of camera in front of my girlfriend of course um and in front of the professionals because uh you know the first hole it was a um a scramble so you take the best ball I hit my ball closer than the the pro it was a part three

Um that’s that’s my takeaway that’s my claim to fame that was before you fell out of it yeah sorry I didn’t want you got yeah yeah I wasn’t going to mention it but okay fine let’s go in it’s a weird sport golf the more I play the worse I get that’s

Interesting I I I have the same kind of thing when I take a long break my first game back I think it’s because you don’t overthink it once you start try to Pi up habits you’re trying to remember why you played well that one day and then you’re

Trying to you know you’re in that Vicious Circle um I actually think real talk now golf is very good to teach you mentally how to approach many things in life I think it’s a great lesson because it’s so easy to get over frustrated in golf it’s so easy to think too much it’s

So easy um sounds quite like Formula 1 really in it is exactly exactly that it has good life lessons and it’s um I think think as I’ve started playing golf I’ve definitely learned to not be as wound up about playing badly and things like that I always just play golf now to

Have a good time which makes a big difference but um in the beginning you’re too competitive I did also see that you’ve been um charging around in singer 911 Porsches I have I have I wish it was mine it’s not it wasn’t not mine I was say people thought it was mine

People thought I had two I says with all due respect um I would NE need to negotiate a little bit more with James V be able for to Alex people who don’t know the singer 911s are vintage Porsches vintage Porsches they’re called Resto mods that’s the official term

Speed up beautifully and they they’re now worth up to what $2 million yes you can so actually um a Shameless Williams plug but Williams there’s a special edition of the singer so they have a um they have one built in America it’s um it takes I know how long it takes a year

And a half two years to for them to build them most likely completely wrong in what I’m saying but they are around a million and then they have this thing called the DLS which is a is that the lightweight it’s the lightweight Edition yeah you you

Know you know you know it um Williams did their engines so the Williams um they did a collaboration and and the engine is very good so Williams The W wae Williams Advanced engineering which was um very much involved in that project and them cars are built in the

UK um and them ones they can go over 3 million um so uh what are they so that’s why I don’t have very simp what are they like to drive are they like um do you feel like you’re driving something from that that’s old or they are they no no

No really tight I would say I drove I drove the the original um through the to the kind of Canyon roads around La um very raw so you get this feeling like you have this loud engine in behind you you have um very you feel very connected to the road um then on

The DLS that’s that’s a different ball game that is really special it has double Wishbone suspension again don’t quote me on this I could be totally wrong um but the way it rides curbs I drove it on a track um in in it’s called thermal which is near La it’s like a

It’s a imagine a golf course exclusive golf course but instead of a golf course it’s a racing track so you pay a membership fee to have house on the property and then once you pay that membership fee you have unlimited you have a track you have a track your own

Private you have your own private track wow um how did you get on it um the guy who owned the DLS so not mine a membership has a membership he has a house there and um we I was driving around it was for charity so um I some

Some some very kind gentleman donated some money for me to take him around and and so yeah and how important was it for you to get some downtime at the end of a long and intense Formula 1 season I remember you being quite ill in Abu

Dhabi actually yes I got sick I had a um Thro infection also after after Abu Dhabi so it meant my winter training was coming from quite far down in terms of Fitness I really had to work quite hard to get it but did did you do nothing

After Abu um so I went straight into a training camp I wanted to start training Before Christmas because I wanted to I felt so tired sometimes just doing nothing is not good so you want to get your body moving um I wanted to build a good amount of Fitness better than how I

Finished in Abu Dhabi just to make sure once I go over Christmas and New Year which everyone takes off um there was less work to do when I got back and because we had a weirdly long break didn’t we we finished Abu daab early December so you kind of spend a month

Twiddling your thumbs a bit so I so I did a bit of a training camp you know I was I was about two 2 and a half kilos down from from race one so I lost um over the over the year about 2 and a half kilos of muscle that is all muscle

That’s all muscle um so I had to get that back up um and then your Fitness you know your cardio your CO2 sorry CO2 your cardiovascular system it really does your V2 really does start to take a hit just because you can’t could you imagine when we do triple headers when

When we when we’re going in the hotels and and airports and whatnot and and now that marketing here the marketing stuff you you you at best get one day of training before you go into your next race and then one day of training and

Then you go into your next race so on a Monday or a Tuesday after a race weekend that’s your your time to train it’s not much it’s not much but I’m interested this weight loss over the year did it affect you in races later on with all

The training you do you actually arrive at least for me maybe some of some people are different I I arrive at race one as fitter than I than I do for the rest of the year because I’ve spent all that time to to just get out there and

And do my training so you get race fit but there’s also general fitness so your your race Fitness gets up so your net gets stronger your core gets stronger um but then on the other side your your general fitness your your cardio and everything starts to drop and your

Muscle mass starts to drop so you you start to lose in other areas and I think the jet lag is actually a huge one which people mostly don’t consider as well all right this is an interesting topic given where we’re going next week yes how are

You going to combat where are we going next week in AUST austr um I leave on Saturday so get you in Sunday does it gets me in Sunday so if I my plan right now is I will fly back from as we are in jeda Sunday night um

Monday is um trip to the dentist in in uh in London and then Tuesday Wednesday we’ll be Sim uh Thursday we have a marketing day with with golf one of our sponsors and then um Friday once a session with with my trainer and then fly fast there and get

When you hit the ground in Australia how do you combat the jet leg so we do it before we even do it before we start flying out so so as we start to move around um we start doing our normal things but you know um light’s a big

Thing so blocking light shades um I’m not so big on melatonin I don’t really like the sleeping stuff it feels unnatural to me so I use Cherry extract it’s like a natural sedative so that works well um or you take that just before bedtime before before bedtime try

And get earlier I don’t actually know Australia yet but my my trainer we have a sleep doctor and they basically give us tell us what to do how you eat’s very important how you sleep and hydrate and as I said exposure to like caffeine so

The way you take coffee or I use coffee um it all plays a big part and how does it affect you in the car um I think the main thing is is you could imagine what we’re doing already requires a lot of concentration and your your reflexes the coordination with your

Engineer speaking to you on the radio um especially when we go to these Street tracks so Melbourne’s going to be one of them and you just don’t feel like you’re optimal you don’t you know you can tell that you’re not as sharp as you want to

Be and that’s the is that reflected in the stopwatch or not um I don’t know to be honest I imagine it is I imagine it is and and so there is a huge effort and I think one of the biggest things I’ve realized is I’ve SP spent time in

Formula One is really putting yourself first really taking care of yourself I think as the as the uh the schedule gets busier and busier especially the way that we treat our bodies and treat our time has been so important so and you know really prioritizing your sleep your

Training um which of course you know we’re form one drivers we’re supposed to do all these events and and and do what you simulat work and whatever so it is a balance um but being good at that manag is it takes up most of my days when I’m

Not driving the car trying to be as um as organized as possible well it’s been two years since you were last on the Pod and I was going to say what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in that time have you have you just revealed it

Um self-care for sure is one of them um and generally speaking it it’s more just being about confidence and and two years is is two years of life maturing so you know speaking with a team and understanding how to lead a team and how to develop a team and try and get the

Car into a better place that’s been most of the work I’ve done since uh our last podcast I think when when I spoke to you last a lot of it’s just trying to survive trying to get another contract trying to to get an extension or whatever it was back then um now it’s

More in a position where I feel comfortable you’re never truly comfortable but um more about being that team player more than more than having to be selfish to to fight for for my career yeah we all know that teamwork is a huge part of Formula 1 but

It’s also the key to success in most Industries and workplaces so if you’re on the hunt for the perfect addition to your team let’s indeed do the hard work for you with over 350 million Global monthly visitors indeed is not just a job search website it’s your ultimate hiring partner its powerful matching

Engine ensures you find top quality candidates quickly so you can get back to what matters most growing your business I’ve known people that have been in the same position as you and I’ve seen how overwhelming the hiring process can be and I can’t help but think that if they’d known about indeed

Back then it would have saved so much time and energy so say goodbye to the endless work of scheduling interviews screening resumés and managing communication indeed streamlines the entire hiring process for you allowing you to connect with potential hires faster than ever before 93% of employers agree that indeed delivers the highest

Quality matches compared to other job sites and don’t just take my word for it experience the difference for yourself with over 140 million qualifications and preferences analyed daily indeed’s matching engine is constantly learning and evolving to meet your specific hiring needs the more you use indeed the

Better it gets at finding the perfect fit for your team so join the ranks of over three and a half million businesses worldwide who trust indeed to help them hire great Talent fast and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at

Indeed.com grid just go to indeed.com grid right now and support our show by saying you heard about indeed on this PO podcast indeed.com slgd terms and conditions of play need to hire you need indeed Laurel mchz was on the Pod last week and he said drivers can get quicker

Every year whereas I’d always had the belief that the the speed isn’t what changes it’s maybe your racecraft and your yeah all the things wrapped around it but he actually believes you can get faster do you I I agree I I definitely think that’s the case I think

There is a it’s kind of the same thing but it’s not um your speed becomes at least for me what I’ve found is my speed becomes quicker because I know more and more what I want in the car and I know how to get it so I know how to set up a

Car I know how to get the car into a good window I know how to if the tires in qualifying or in the race are going a certain direction not good let’s say I know how generally I know how to fix it I know what areas I need to improve on

So the experience really brings together a an overall understanding of what you need what suits your driving style but also um what are the limits of the car some some bits you can’t fix some bits you have to just ignore and focus on some other areas of the car you know

There might be a characteristical issue in the car that you could spend all day working on it fix it but you’ve made 10 other things worse so this kind of appreciation for for for getting lap time out of the car um and understanding of it has really

Gone a long way for me and I think that’s that’s one of the biggest things I’ve earned and and you mentioned leading the team that’s something that James Val said when he was on the Pod as well that he he wants to build Williams around you and have you felt that last

18 month I would definitely say I’m far more involved now than I than I was before decisions Beyond how to make the car go faster in qualifying I mean in terms of structural decisions within the things it is but it’s not you know I’m not there saying we need to do this or

This because that’s James’s job and I think James sees it much clearer than I do and his experience at Mercedes and whatnot has really helped him um know what we need for me it’s more I’ve seen these areas and I don’t there’s no kind of stone that has been left untouched

That I didn’t think need fixing and James has already turned it over that makes sense so so I feel like we’ve know terms of an understanding of what the team needs to do to to be a better you know top field team we know we know it’s it’s there’s there’s not this discussion

Of where where is it what are we looking for we know what it is but it it will take time but how hard is it to get that it’s hard it is hard and I think I don’t want to speak for James but I think the you know every year that goes on

Especially when we’re coming into this year you see um we’ve talked a lot about our car how we’ve really changed the philosophy and the DNA of the car and we’ve really gone about it a different way um there are some things we have improved massively to last year um but

It has definitely stretched the team it’s really pushed it to its limits and um the cracks show in areas and and it’s interesting to see how um you know especially for James it’s it’s myself as well just because because I want the team to be better and and we want to be

Fighting but um then areas are where we need to to improve because we we’ve got a good foundation now it’s just it’s going to take time it really is to to to be one of them teams fighting for the podiums but you know you have raced for

A top team in Red Bull what are the fundamental differences it’s a Well old machine Red Bull I think there aren’t any real weak points I mean even at my time at Red Bull when is that now four years ago five years ago um it was still

A well old machine and they’ve only just made steps from then um and it’s I don’t know you know when I spent when I had my time at Red Bull you can just see that everyone’s doing their job everyone’s at the very top of their game and um

Williams we do some things very well some things we need to improve on you know it’s not as um refined but it’s still in its growing phase um and I think that’s that’s really the biggest difference the the the desire and the passion that’s there and that’s always

Been there at Williams and do you feel what are you you’re 27 now 27 yeah getting old almost 28 yes it’s end of March is this might come out when I’m 28 and what 80 old Grand Prix under your belt do you feel you’re hitting your

Peak now it’s weird because I saw a statistic the other day and I thought I must have been one of the more experienced drivers or Midfield but actually you take away Logan Jo and um Oscar I’m going to miss some someone else I think I’m jointed with Yuki but

I’m like I’m jointed fourth least experienced driver which is weird to say as a statistic but I I feel much more than that and and as you said when when um when you take into account four years of experience um I still think like what you said about Laura I think there’s

Always more to come I don’t think it just stops now you still explore you still find things with your driving or with with things or let’s say set up ideas and philosophies that you figure out there’s still more to come there’s always one to do you think that if I

Mean you out qualified Logan at every race last year if you are under more pressure from your teammate do you think your rate of improvement would be faster um a tricky question um I think different drivers respond very differently so I think um some drivers need that kind of um prod other

Drivers I feel the totally opposite if they can be in a happy space they that’s where they perform the best for me it’s somewhere in the middle I I think um what I’ve learned is I like I the more I can just focus and be in the presid and

Not worry about the other side and and that kind of thing that’s how I perform the best but at the same time um I love that I love that kind of that fight I enjoy the I enjoy the competition so so yeah it is it it’s somewhere in between it’s somewhere in

Between but um did you learn more when you had Max V snappin and Danny kivat next to you than you do having Logan Sergeant next to you again tough question I would say of course yes because I was also so in experienced to start with so the rate of learning and

What I had to learn and what there was to learn was so much more when I started Formula One than than what it is now this there’s still things on learning of course but but it was such an an open world an unexplored World um back when I

First was in Formula 1 so so in that sense yes um but yeah I would say my my roles have changed though so so more than anything if you take teammates aside it’s more you know I’m I’m I’m enjoying with this new car for example exploring different setups doing

Different things and you know I think especially right now the Dynamic within the team um we just pushing the envelope and and because I have the experience and and I think also confidence to just try things during a weekend and of course always come back if it doesn’t

Work out but um that side has changed where I think when I was more you know up against Max and Danny it was more just about just give me a car give me the car that that the other guy’s driving and I’ll and I’ll get up to

Speed and I need to figure it out with my driving and and my tools you know what we’re doing on the steering wheel where to improve and and now that’s you know I guess in some ways that bit I know I can do it so so so I there’s much

More time spent exploring I feel that the Alex I’m talking to now would have dealt with that part of your Formula 1 career so differently if it were to happen now it is but that’s hindsight I think hindsight experience it is and you wouldn’t I wouldn’t be where I am now if

It didn’t go through the in time so it would always you know always goes back but I do think you know maybe people forget that I only spent six months in toroso before I got to the big team and and there was still quite a big gap in my maturity and and

Understanding of F1 before I huge it was it was it was um the rookies now I think people over time have really got an understanding of of how tough it is to be a rookie I think teams too I think teams give give their drivers more time

As well as a result um but on the same kind of negative spiral it’s why teams also so hesitant to have rookies in in in their teams so um it is it is a big jump and it’s getting a bigger jump now just because these cars I find very

They’re tricky to drive they’re much harder than they were back in 2017 um why where’s the lap time in these cars it’s the cars are are stiff they’re low and that’s where you get the downfalls the cars move around much more um every bump you feel um you have to have true

Confidence in the cars now because when you when they are jumping around in the middle of a corner it um carting exactly exactly actually um it feels like it’s it’s definitely taken a step back in terms of um refinement and it actually starts to feel you know you got to you

Got to wrestle these things so so that side of things has played a much bigger part in I think getting lap time out of out of the cars and and as a consequence they’re much easier to make mistakes I think you know when you run a stiff car

And it’s it’s edgy and and these cars they’re still very wind dependent the normal kind of things it it adds another layer to make it more difficult to dve well what about the FW 46 talking about it being wind depending that was yeah yeah some something that that the team’s

Cars have suffered from quite a lot in recent years is it is it still an issue it’s interesting so um Bahrain was a was always a bad track for us um because it’s windy because it’s windy and and the corners don’t suit us and um what we found last week was just how

Much better the car is at certain wind angles so I always find wind is more a balance amplifier so let’s say you have a a corner where you have front locking or under that wind will only make it worse and for the same reason if you have a

Bit of over steer here and there that wind’s only going to make it worse so you only you’re just pulling the car apart it kind of really highlights issues in the carut um and the 45 had a lot of issues um when the wind was behind us it was a

Nightmare and and we’ve seen massive steps for for this year the only thing I would say to that is um everyone’s made a step so so that that Midfield is quite frustrating because I mean the top teams have made a step the the mid bottom Midfield teams have made an even bigger

Step but they’ve all made the same step so um the gaps between teams feel quite similar yeah exactly and it’s all relative so we we kind of have improved you know 6 seven 8/10 to last year massive jumps and race Pace even more massive steps you look around your

Shoulder and it’s the same people you’re facing for the same positions so so when you qualify what was it 13 yes you know was it a good lap were you thinking that that that is our true it is our true I I was happy with that I think there’s

Always call it race one rust there’s a little bit you can find but I think that’s it’ be unfair to say every driver drive a perfect lap I think there’s always a bit from everyone um but you know what was it q1 was was

Was it 8/10 or a sec or just over a second covering the whole the whole field um now it’s more like you make a little mistake and you think that’s two positions but but actually it’s good for the drivers because there’s even more emphasis on you guys it is it is to not

Make mistakes and the good good guys will shine and that’s that’s that’s where f1’s going I think that’s it’s in some ways it’s a bit of a shame to see comments about Max and it being a boring season because it’s totally not that at least from my perspective because you take take him

Out of the equation you have one of the the best grids the best field the tightest grids ever in Formula 1 and even if even if you include Max it’s still the tightest field in Formula One so well let’s not forget that charlot Clair actually did the fastest qualifying lap lastek exactly exactly

And um in Q2 I I it’s hard because it’s it’s it’s the leader so everyone focuses on the leader but but the the racing at the back is is so intense um we pitted two laps too late in um in Bain during the race and we lost six positions went

From from 11th and finished 15th so it’s time but what about the development of this car do you feel there’s more scope than there was last year there is there is so in our heads without exposing too much um we’ve got a very good platform

We know where the lap time is some of it is achievable some of it isn’t um more for next year which obviously is a bit painful to say because it’s far away but that’s just the way it is um we have a good foundation as I said and um we’ve got some updates

Coming but I I’ll say it again in the end everyone does so you’re only you’re only trying to out outperform um and overachieve compared to the others so we’ve we know we’ve got that time hiding in the car um let’s see what the others have have you enjoyed bouncing ideas off Pat fry

Yeah he’s been great I really enjoyed Pat um we have these meetings um Monday after every race and uh just kind of like a shoot your uh everyone kind of has a bit of a a chat around the areas we need to focus on and whatever

It um and obviously Pat has so much experience and it’s very interesting to see the areas we need to work in as a team because he’s coming from also a very um organizational background so when he talks he’s not just talking he’s not technically always talking about performance but he’s just talking about

How can we be more efficient as a team and focusing on the areas where where I think as when we look at the areas for us to improve that that’s really our main main main area so um yeah you know some he will say are positive and and there are

Others which he says we need work to do um but it’s good yeah so two podiums to your name already Yes do you think it’s is it two big an ask for 2024 we need something um Max and Lewis take each other out and then Max and Le take each other out Charles

And leis oh no at that point we’ll have charlesen charlesen Carlos yeah um we’ll get a few of them out and then we can we can need exceptional it would need something but there’s always two races I think in the year that that happens and

You just got to be in the right place at the right spot and and you can have a chance you know look at um estban in Hungary for example so there’s always a chance look at the alpines last year with est Ban’s Podi in Monaco or pier in

Zanol I think it was it is it is exactly maybe actually we’re just talking about those results last year I mean what was it you qualified fourth in in Zan yeah you go we we were genuinely running fourth or fifth for most of the race we we didn’t have the greatest

Um we didn’t take the gamble like other people did that race with the tires if you remember it was raining drying and all these kind of things we couldn’t because we were in such a good position we thought we got to just play it safe

We got to stay out uh but that’s very true you know we’re not far away and it’s only going to take a little bit for us to get there so um let’s hope for a Podium I’m not sure it will come um but I’ll remain optimistic yeah and of

Course it’s the longest season in the history of Formula 1 and I know a lot of people watching listening to this will be going what happens to the pets I while you’re away don’t worry I have um four siblings um and a mom um who take a

Lot of care with with the pets so don’t worry they are fed more than well they are def ly living a happy life um what’s the latest count cuz they’ve got their own Instagram I always forget but I believe 13 Cats albor uncore pet ALB please give her a follow um albore pets

We got 13 cats um can I stop you why 13 cats I mean I love cats but so there’s always this thing and I I don’t know if anyone can resonate with this um let’s say we want a cat fine we’ve already got too many cats at

Home but whatever there might be a reason for it um normally the reason is um you know there’s a litter and and they’re struggling to sell them or or you know they don’t know what to do with them okay first person they call all the local dealer exctly all

Brers Alex will have one Alex Alex one will will take one so they call out and they say listen we got got an issue um blah blah blah blah so what often happens is my sisters and my mom will go to the you know to collect you know either a stray cat or

Whatever it may be somehow going in to get one when it when they come home there’s three or four and it’s like whereever these gone from and um that’s happened three times and so you can imagine we’re supposed to in some way supposed to only have three and

Then ended up with 10 because there was one litter we took four supposed to come with one and we took four so there’s we got one called um this giraffe hippo um can you name all 13 I got I got quiz this the other day and I don’t

Problem I’m not there enough so I really struggled to because obviously a lot of them are brothers and sisters it’s really hard to know which one’s which so we’ve got Amani Gucci and Prada and lucky lucky is just I don’t know why lucky but they were

Kind of a group and then we have goose and duck that’s 56 then Hugo for Hugo Boss at seven um and then there is a giraffe hippo um oh God lion no not lion there’s two more which are we’re going to get killed for not knowing this and then there’s

Sushi um then we have a dog called Otti um and then we have two horses I thought and there Stan Stan so if you really want to know each cat has numerous names so ammani is called ammani Mumu um and AER and then for someone

Like Stan so I call him Stan some of my other sisters call him Hugo um so can you see there’s this whole complex it is very confusing I’m sure the cats have no idea nutshell it’s 13 cats two horses and and a dog and a dog yes so um and

Then Stan made some shoes didn’t he are you wearing them no I am wearing these are custom one of ones but um I do have shoes they I’m going to have some shoes this year so make sure everyone I see a lot of drivers releasing their merch already hold on to your

Money and spend it on mine actually Alex I was impressed the way you got um Fernando Alonzo to wear a pair in Singapore Fernando has to be one of the best guys ever because um I didn’t I’ve told the story before but I didn’t want

To you know Leap Frog and leech on the drivers and say Hey you know do you want to use can you wear my stuff whatever I was like if they’ll if they want some sure of course I’ll give it to them um and so Yuki asked no problem um and then

We were coming out of driver’s briefing and Flander was like oh I like your shoes can you get me one and I was like yeah you you bet you can so um spoke to my manager was like you got to get Fernando a pair of shoes um we had a

Popup store in Singapore so he ran down to the pop-up store got a pair for him brought them back and uh and you know he’s he’s a Hu I think he’s a Hugo Boss Ambassador you know he he he he does wear his team is I think he he looks

Like he has a personal deal with them whatever it is so he does wear Huga boss shoes um and then on Sunday for the race weekend there he is with Alex Alin Athletics so it was very cool of him and very nice of him I think he’s um he’s

Very in with the kids like you know we’re not that young but um you know with all especially cuz he’s in one now a lot of the guys we get on well with him and um well there’s the P matches there’s paddle matches and he’s a good

Lot he’s a good actually I was playing paddle on the Sunday after the Bing and he was there as well I said oh I hear you’re decent at paddle he went not so much me being good it’s more the other drivers being so good I was speaking to Lando

The other day um because I think he played with there was a grouping of them with Max and someone else I can’t remember um but uh Lando said first 10 minutes he was kind of late got up late and strolled out of bed and uh he teamed up with Fernando better maybe Lando

Tells the story but basically said he was so serious like the most competitive man you could ever meet um you know he was just that guy like are you in it or not kind of thing um which I just thought he super cool cuz that I

Mean he you have to sharpen up when you’re he he lives and breathes compet competition you see it you see it in everything he does well Alex it has been brilliant to chat can you just clarify one thing for us yes before you go which is

2025 okay there’s going to be so much movement in the driver Market yes what’s the sitch with you and Williams it’s um it’s something that we know let’s say it like that um we’re gonna have to wait a bit you’re going to have to wait and see but um you know on

My side I’m totally focused on the team I feel like I know it sounds generic but but it is very true that um I love being a part of this team I love you know what we spoke about earlier this kind of building the team around and and this

Progress that this upwards progress that we’re on um is very exciting um of course you know I won’t deny and say there are opportunities around you know there is um a very fluid driver market right now and I think um it’s it’s exciting it’s moving around um but my my

Focus and my entire time is put on on the team and um I’m here to go racing and then that’s it well good luck with everything hope that Podium comes your way uh new for this year some quick fire questions to end yes very quickly what

Else are you good at what else am I good at o okay and pets apart from pets I’m not good at anything else than racing and even then it’s questionable let’s say it’s not questionable stop being M photography I enjoy photography um I enjoy cooking but I’m not good at

Cooking um more like sweet things than than Savory things um I’m not good at golf uh that’s it I’m very limited very limited which racing driver would you want to be stuck in a lift with uh no one who has any issues let’s let’s have a

Thing I think it depends how long but I wouldn’t want someone who’s just talking all the time just someone quiet so maybe like a V just keep it quiet who would play you in a film I don’t think anyone has a face like mine you know what I

Mean like I’ve got quite a not unique face but it’s hard to do I always have thought of um Jackie Chan just because why not you can put a few back flips in it as well who’s the coolest person in your address book and I got again boring

Boring I’m I’m not I’m I’m I’m it’s my par my girlfriend and and that’s me and of course the racing drivers so I’m I’m well out of the Limelight you know I’m not the guy to go to these uh fashion events or or or concerts so

Um St sorry to all my anyone who knows me I dissed all of you because none of you are c Stan yeah Stan has his own phone no I’m joking he doesn’t but and look final one who would be your first guest if you hosted a podcast good question Valentino Rossi yes Definitely