Alexander Albon says it’s a shame to see comments about Formula 1 being “boring” this year because he feels the standard of competition in the midfield is high.
Max Verstappen was never seriously threatened as he won the first two races of the season from pole position. But Albon said the pack behind the Red Bull driver is closer than ever.“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,” he told the official F1 channel. “Because you take him out of the equation, you have one of the best grids, the best fields, the tightest grids ever in Formula 1. And even if you include Max, still it’s the tightest field in Formula 1.”
“It’s hard because it’s the leader, so everyone focuses on the leader,” Albon added. “But the racing at the back is so intense. We pitted two laps too late in Bahrain during the race and we lost six positions, went from 11th and finished 15th. So it’s tight.
Albon said Williams has made a significant step forward with its new car but rival teams have matched their gains. The team has made particular progress with its car’s sensitivity to the wind, which was a significant weakness last year.
“I always find wind is more of a balance amplifier. So let’s say you have a corner where you have front locking or understeer, that wind will only make it worse. For the same reason, if you have a bit of oversteer here and there, that wind is only going to make it worse. So you’re just pulling the car apart. It kind of really highlights issues in the car.
“The [FW]45 had a lot of issues. When the wind was behind us it was a nightmare and we’ve seen massive steps for this year. The only thing I would say to that is, everyone’s made a step. So that midfield is quite frustrating because the top teams have made a step, the bottom midfield teams have made an even bigger step, but they’ve all made the same step.”
In the opening round at Bahrain International Circuit little more than a second covered the entire 20-car field in Q1.
“We kind of improved six, seven, eight tenths to last year,” said Albon. “Massive jumps. Race pace, even more massive steps. But you look around your shoulder and it’s the same people you’re fighting for the same positions.”
“In Q1 it was eight tenths or just over a second covering the whole the whole field,” he added. “Now it’s more like you make a little mistake and you think that’s two positions.”
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notagrumpyfan
13th March 2024, 10:32
Totally agree with him.
It’s quite close between the rest of the top-10 cars.
And also the bottom is much more exciting/closer than it was in the past (I’m keeping track of minor championship for those teams which normally fall outside the top-10)
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 16:08
Close? Sure, but where’s the racing then? Barley any. This last race it was only really due to cars out of place due to the safety car otherwise there was almost 0. Lewis lando and the Haas.
Albon also says it’s hard because everyone focuses on the leader. Well yes, it’s a race to define a winner lmao what else are we ultimately watching for.
Mmm I want to watch some racing today i better tune in to F1 so that I can watch the driving to see who finishes 4th, ooh actually 17th as well, how exciting!
notagrumpyfan
13th March 2024, 17:51
If you don’t like it, then just stop watching.
Unless of course if you get a kick out of being grumpy and commenting online :P
I still enjoy the racing (which is different from finding only a winner – that we call ‘championship’), and share the (glass half full) enjoyment to counter all the negativity here.
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 20:53
Nobody is saying about not liking it or watching or not, except you right now. But I get your point. Surely it’s because people want to watch but don’t feel it’s good enough is the reason for the voicing of disapproval?
It goes beyond to a point where fans give their time attention and money and aren’t getting what they want from it and clearly aren’t getting legitimate results from those running the show.
I do think this in some ways about f1s future as well. I get the feeling that liberty are milking this hard enough that they’re disillusioning old fans and new fans might not stick around with the the same old.
So where does this lead the sport in the end??
Because more than ever there’s high competition in this freight world for peoples attention so if you’re not delivering it can fail pretty badly, especially if the new fan base, which is a solid chunk, isnt goih to stick around for the bore.
What happens when liberty sells? Won’t they do it in a heartbeat if F1 begins to decline?
Is it also that amazing that F1 rose up considering how much of a void there was in marketing with the previous ownership. Sure they’ve done good but they kinda are a marketing company it’s what they’re good at.
It’s a fair grievance to realise that the sport you like is more often than not dangling a carrot in front of your face and rarely do you get a grasp of it, and then you realise it’s not actually as much of a competition and not much of a sport and there’s not much actual racing. It more of a perpetual suspense and hope that there WILL be, eventually, sometime, maybe next weekend, maybe next year, next regulations, and then you start to realise that it’s actually a -probably not-
Wouldn’t be an issue if it wasn’t sold as a sport or racing or a competition but it is.
In reality the only pinnacle is laptimes and a few of the top drivers and then mostly the engineers that build and run the cars. That the pinnacle part. Not the actual racingor sport.
Still I’d like to know if F1 is even listed as a sport of entertainment in the us or France or UK etc.
Fair enough regarding your comment of glass half full and countering the negative but I hope you notice my rebuttal essentially that it’s sorta perpetually half full maybe twice a decade it might actually be nearly full but that’s about it.
Also if they really cared about the championship they wouldn’t run 24 races (essentially 27 GP’s worth of points) because it makes an already unlikely full title race, even more unlikely.
I wonder how it benefits them to have more races. Could it be the money? Increased viewership and engagement simply by having more races?
They’re running a business and it’s a balancing act for them, appease fans enough make money, and lead them on enough to keep them interested enough untill the next time.
Not that hard I guess when it’s in the DNA of the sport and the fans are used to it. But even then there was more action in the past, it just turns out it’s a fake sport and the interest is actually built on off track things like politics and scandals (as if we don’t get enough of that in the real world) and also built on hopes and dreams of competition.
Extremely unlikely there will be a title that goes to the wire this decade. Again, especially because of the amount of races, but also other factors, some new some old.
I’ve said before the best outcome for an f1 fan of racing is for a F1 competitor to arise. I’d take F1 being a spec series tomorrow if it means racing and title battles more like in indycar, it would be epic to see.
Btw
Imagine a spec series with 2022 style F1 cars that could race much better, no drs, na engines (or at least higher revving and slightly less efficient for better sound), real racing tyres, lighter so they’d be even faster.
Btw indy car isn’t a 100% spec series, as many parts are made and I believe also developed by the teams. To add to that it’s actually no different to F1 other than better racing and competition, the cream still rises to the top, it’s the same few teams that win the titles. Really no different to F1.
In comparison F1 has the most amazing prestige of self built cars and no speccing with absolutely all the drawback of little competition.
The Saudi offer to buy F1 should have just started their own series, so long as they had the right leader and hired the right people it could do exceptionally well with that kind of backing. More easily could go wrong than right but again it’s just like with F1 teams, the right leader the right people the right structure and culture and it can flourish with all that gold to propel it.
notagrumpyfan
14th March 2024, 10:27
Hello YB,
Too many parts to react to all. But you haven’t changed my opinion about the sport.
I don’t mind more races and would even enjoy a good (maybe unlikely) fight between Stroll and Sargeant for 16th in a dead rubber race.
I marvel at the technical ingenuities of the teams, and how they are creative to find an extra 0.1s. I wish there were more technical insight stories on this/other sites, rather than the endless discussions about the colour scheme (except for paint weight articles).
I enjoy the strategising of teams to maximise the outcome when they are not Max in a RBR.
I do not want to see artificial ways to make the weaker stronger like DRS or non-equitable rule changes.
I know that the sport is much much more than finding the best driver. This is a team sport where most of the team (engineers) do their job between the races. I don’t need to see another RoC to determine the best driver; it’s a team/package sport.
PS read my reply below; sarcasm vs sarcasm ;)
Nick T.
14th March 2024, 1:07
Just stop watching is the most sophomoric argument ever. The problem is that as long as RBR has Newey and F1 isn’t a power dependent formula, nothing will change. It’s like having Max or Fernando driving against F3 drivers. The other designers are nowhere close to him.
notagrumpyfan
14th March 2024, 10:03
I agree, and normally don’t use it.
But before forming an opinion about that statement you have to read the whole thread.
I assumed readers would recognise the “:P” at the end indicating the sarcastic reply from me. And this reply was based on the statement by YB (last paragraph) where he indicated that he had no reason to watch current F1 (assuming this was sarcasm as well).
Nick T.
15th March 2024, 13:43
Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Nick T.
15th March 2024, 13:44
Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
13th March 2024, 10:37
You don’t have to watch it, mate!
Konstantinos
13th March 2024, 11:54
haha! My thoughts exactly, you just need to be driving around a track at 300kmph and then it’s magically not boring.
Gerrit
13th March 2024, 23:24
Problem is that if enough people stop watching, the value as an advertising media diminishes, income drops, sponsors look elsewhere, other series become more watch able and advertisers flock there.
You cannot keep a product alive by telling people to not buy said product if they don’t like it.
Sooner or later you run out of people. F1 is heading that way.
Pete
13th March 2024, 10:52
“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.”
From your perspective – a guy who gets to travel around the world driving F1 cars… Yeah. It could be 10x more boring to watch and I’d still enjoy doing what you’re doing.
Nick T.
14th March 2024, 1:09
Truly one of the most oblivious comments I’ve ever seen and I say that as yet another fan who loves Alex.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
13th March 2024, 10:55
It isn’t boring for you Alex. I can totally understand that. You are often in the thick of the action.
But for those of us listening and watching it has, so far, been two processional and very predictable races.
I’m not bored yet, but another 22 of these will not be good for F1 …. nor indeed for its fans.
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 16:12
You’re wasting your time. Apparently the indycar season opener was boring but turned out it was better than f1s two races combined. More racing more passing more attempts better tyres and cars that look great on TV because it’s shot better than F1 too. I’d argue that the less efficient engines sound much better too. A small other detail is that the cars look like race cars not business cards. Add to that the insanity of no power steering and no drs, it’s a treat compared to f1s void
knightameer (@knightameer)
14th March 2024, 11:28
I just watched indycar highlights for the 1st race of this season. I can confirm that the racing indeed is much better and the field is more nicely close to each other.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
13th March 2024, 11:10
This type of comment, about looking to the midfield for action and interest, has been made in one form or another for decades. People said it during the Schumacher era, and the Vettel one, and the Hamilton one … so it is no surprise to see the same thing being said about the Verstappen era too.
But a lack of competition at the front is never going to make an enthralling product, no matter what happens behind. Most people, even longstanding fans, are most interested in who wins. If you enthuse at a non-F1 fan about the incredible display of tactics and teamwork put on by Kevin Magnussen at the last race, to help his teammate finish in, er, tenth, they’ll probably look at you like you’ve gone slightly mad.
Who has the most wins of any driver in F1 history? Lewis Hamilton. Everyone knows that.
Who has the most seventh place finishes? Exactly.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
13th March 2024, 11:20
Now I absolutely want to know who has the most seventh place finishes! :)
Is it possible to find out from some database somewhere?
I know Ronnie Peterson finished seventh in his first GP (Monaco 1970).
John Beak (@johnbeak)
13th March 2024, 11:27
The amazing long-running French STATS F1 site has position stats.
Leaders for most 7th place finishes are all active drivers – Fernando has 27, Checo is just behind with 26, then there’s a gap to Hülk with 20.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
13th March 2024, 11:28
Fantastic – thank you very much!
Mayrton
13th March 2024, 11:28
I agree and this type of comment this time around comes rather quickly (or more quickly) vs earlier dominating drivers (Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton) which imho stems from the consistency with which Max drives (making little error), the fact that it is the 4th driver in a row to display dominance and the political agenda from the press (usually seen when it’s not a British driver benefitting from the situation).
Tristan
13th March 2024, 11:39
I disagree with that, I think most people, especially longstanding fans, are most interested in close racing. If it was only about who wins, people would switch off long ago, as said, Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton, now Max. I’d be very surprised if we’re on the whole, watching because we’re interested in seeing them win.
Tristan
13th March 2024, 11:30
Playing follow-the leader is intense? What are we missing Albon? A close field isn’t exciting racing.
Exciting racing is lunging on the outside and barely staying alongside but setting up the inside line for the next corner, but sacrificing speed to take that inside line to ensure you don’t touch…
Exciting racing is pitting for softs with 10 laps to go but making up 5 positions to make the pit stop worth it.
Exciting racing is pushing the tyres to the limit, turning the engine up to its maximum despite the risk of damage and running out of fuel, running each corner on the track to its absolute limits pumping out qualifying lap after qualifying lap to make up a crucial position.
None of this exists in current F1. It doesn’t matter how close the cars are in lap time.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
13th March 2024, 11:39
+1
tielemst
13th March 2024, 12:23
Agree. The difficulty in overtaking results in drivers not being punished for every small mistake but only for the big ones. Cars are more reliable and drivers are more consistent as a whole. With the notable exception of Lance Stroll that is.
notagrumpyfan
13th March 2024, 12:55
That would actually increase the need to (actively) overtake, rather than wait for an error or issue.
Thus maybe more difficult (I disagree), but still a bigger need to try to overtake.
SteveP
13th March 2024, 13:06
Lance is pretty consistent, unfortunately he’s consistently off the pace.
Yes, only there because someone is paying for him to be there, but it was ever thus.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
14th March 2024, 7:51
Based on the last 5 races other than the latest one, stroll pace wise has been pretty close to alonso, sometimes better. So I can’t agree that he is consistently off the pace. He’s just in inconsistent but can be good at times.
One thing he almost always seems good at is the launch off the line and making the most of lap 1.
MichaelN
13th March 2024, 15:16
That has a lot to do with the need to pace themselves to make the tyres last. Last year when Pérez had one of his many bungled qualifyings, Red Bull would often note that the simulated the race and expected him to finish in this or that place. The teams have the entire race simmed out and calculated the exact laptimes needed.
In Bahrain some people got super excited about Verstappen putting in like 10 near identical sector times as proof of his amazing skill. He is no doubt very skilled, but he was just driving to the delta. He knows exactly where he is relative to it at all times and had (plenty of) pace in hand. This wasn’t Hungary 1998, where Schumacher strung together who knows how many ‘qualifying laps’. This is just the teams adapting to Pirelli.
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 16:30
Very true, these tyres have destroyed racing. It can never be the pinnacle of Motorsports running arguably the worst tyres
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 16:26
No. Exciting racing is when you have new soft tyres but they’re not much faster than 40 lap old hard tyres
F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
13th March 2024, 12:13
The teams getting closer and closer in performance is exciting for qualifying and we had some very thrilling qualifying sessions in recent years.
The problem is in the race where being closer in performance usually means less overtaking certainly when the whole field need to manage their tires.
Just have a look at the battles Lewis had with the McLaren’s – he was fast enough (or McLaren too slow) on the straight to keep Piastri behind but couldn’t keep up in sector 1 when later in the race he was chasing Norris.
All of which is made worse by DRS trains requiring even more excess speed to overtake – thus making an extra pit stop more of a risk and thus more tyre management to reduce # of pit stops.
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 16:33
Pitlane speeds were reduced too a while back, further compounding the issue
Nick T,
14th March 2024, 1:12
Wimpy pit speed limits, like this brand new doctrine of SCs or VSCs for ANY car on the side of the track has exacerbated this issue.
S
14th March 2024, 8:02
Despite this, F1 still has the shortest pit stop/pit lane time of any series – and yet all the others manage to make better use of strategy to create interest and excitement…
This is not a pit lane problem – it’s a team attitude problem. Too much data keeps telling them to minimise all variables at every opportunity.
David BR (@david-br)
13th March 2024, 12:30
I really wouldn’t know as I haven’t seen either race (or qualifying or practices) after deciding to sit this season out until, if and when, I read that there is actual competition for the race win. F1TV subscription cancelled. It’s supposed to be a race, a competition, a championship: the idea is about winning it, not ‘how good the racing from 2-19’ is. My prediction is that Verstappen wins every single race this season – bar those where he has some mechanical issue or some incident (unprovoked by himself) intervenes in the race result. Is it worth watching to see whether the latter happens? Nope.
The basic problem is that the number two driver at Red Bull offers zero competition. Both Vettel and Hamilton always looked like they had to fight for their wins in at least some races. Schumacher? Same as Verstappen. Utter tedium.
I may well relent at some point as there are races I just love watching to ‘be there’: Silverstone, Spa, Suzuka, Interlagos. Paying money to watch a 100% predictable race outcome at some of the more unpleasant venues or soul-less street circuits? Just doesn’t work for me.
Mayrton
13th March 2024, 14:48
I hear what you say but I have a different perspective. I watch for the battles throughout the field and have gotten used to one man dominating the front – Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton, now Max. It isn’t really new. I ‘survived’ the 2014-2020 period by ignoring the two Mercedes cars and that made up for some very good and close racing. Nowadays it is slightly better since I only have to ignore one car. The rest of the field delivers some stellar racing and as to Max, I can only respect what he displays. It is the objective of any athlete to master a sport and he certainly delivers, like in many sports from time to time someone completely dominates with their team around them.
David BR (@david-br)
13th March 2024, 15:17
I was with the program (what you’re saying) until this year. It’s a mixture of the Perez collapse last season, the fact Red Bull have no interest in replacing Perez for a driver who could sometimes offer competition to Max, the distaste left over the Red Bull infighting and the issues involved there (still unresolved? who knows), the impact of Abu Dhabi 2021 still, which left me disillusioned after years of following the sport. Personally I think Red Bull dominance is a big negative for Formula 1 this time round – no offence to the talent of Verstappen, Newey and their other designers. Just to point out I’m not being hypocritical: I was calling for Bottas to be replaced by someone more competitive fairly soon when it was evident he was never going to beat Hamilton (Rosberg was always much closer, as shown by his own championship win).
Mayrton
16th March 2024, 9:48
I get that. AD’21 was a turning point for me as well, the event itself but also the reactions to the event (ranging from those involved to the viewers) and it’s implication which showed great irrationality from many. In fact the whole season was imho damaging to F1 and one of the worst I have ever witnessed therefore. Perez equals Bottas indeed. Not a fan of either situation. The internal RedBull thing doesn’t interest me, but what it again displays is intentional media meddling and false entitlement by others to get involved, which is annoying, no.. rather worrying as societal phenomenon. And domination imho opinion is negative for any sport if it lasts a long period. This will be the 3rd for RedBull. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to the 8 years of Mercedes.
Yellow Baron
13th March 2024, 16:38
Overall the mercedes years were never as bad, even the two worst years had interesting races. But I wonder more so does that mean you missed the title battles in 2014 and 2016, they must have been really boring seasons for your. Or the initial title battles in 2017 and 2018, you must have been so upset to see vettel dominating again for two thirds of the season.
Nick T.
14th March 2024, 1:15
Yes, despite a distinct dislike for Lewis and Mercedes, there were TONS of great races during the 2014-2017 years in particular. There was only one year during the Vettel and Schumacher runs that were truly dominant and boring.
grat
13th March 2024, 13:31
I called the top 5 finishing positions before the lights went out.
How is it not boring?
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
13th March 2024, 13:32
There a few other problems Albon.
No one fights for positions anymore. Petrov keeping Alonso behind in 2010 just wouldn’t happen anymore.
The tyres are absolutely woeful and have been for quite some time.
The cars are never pushed to the limit so it always has an air of a Sunday drive about it.
DRS has killed overtaking as a skill. Just need overpowered straight line speed in the specific straight.
Penalty system is appalling. Get rid of the 5 seconds and 10 seconds unless you can categorise what deserves it. You may as well pass off track if all you are going to get is 5 seconds.
This generation of car is really boring. The reliability is insane especially with red bull. In the Mercedes domination era I remember a few 2014 races being interesting because of car issues or crashes.
Quite a list of things to sort to be honest.
David BR (@david-br)
13th March 2024, 15:28
@come-on-kubica You’re right, it’s quite a list. The combination of mechanical reliability and computer-generated information to optimize a driver’s race no doubt appeals to manufacturers and technicians, but allows less and less space for the unexpected.
Edvaldo
13th March 2024, 15:11
yeah, because people tune in to watch people fighting for the 12th place. You make yourself believe that if you want.
The same was said in the Vettel era, in particular in 2011, but in that year due to the brand new short life Pirelli tyres and a still less than optimal DRS introduction -the zone to open it was almost always too long-,the races that year were indeed frenetic and very entertaining, even if Vettel was taking most of them.
Now you see qualys being highly competitive in the top 10 and the races a snooze fest. Russell spent the whole race unable to close in on Alonso ffs.
Don
13th March 2024, 15:56
No, it’s once again totally boring. Hard to watch actually.
Tomasko Krupinsky
13th March 2024, 16:07
The only thing more boring than Oracle Red Bull is the DRS trains.
Marko-Horner stories are more exciting than the racing.
I’ll follow this season through Mondays race journalism.
Watching the P1 through Race Day is too predictable.
Fan since 1970’s
AlanD
13th March 2024, 17:58
Yeah, the midfield is closer, but do the sports headlines ever shout “Thrilling battle for 8th and 9th places”? Only in Alex’s world.
Jon (@johns23)
13th March 2024, 23:34
It’s very hard to watch this year. I can’t put my finger on it, maybe it’s that no-one has a hope of getting close to the Red Bulls and this year and its both Red Bulls, which really says something.
But nothing will change and we will just keep watching as we always do. Sigh