Alex Albon is, in the words of Guenther Steiner, ‘very well spoken’ and ‘very calm’. In that sense, his radio messages at the Japanese Grand Prix were highly out of character.
Albon finished ninth in Suzuka to maintain his 100% points record in 2025. With 18 on the board, he sits seventh in the championship and has already surpassed his haul for the entirety of 2024.
But the Thai driver was furious with his Williams team over a gearbox issue, calling the shifts ‘so bad’. He felt his concerns hadn’t been properly addressed.
And even though all but two drivers held station in a largely processional race, Albon questioned Williams’ strategy. Their ‘ridiculous’ plan apparently made ‘no sense’.
Guenther Steiner suggests surprising Alex Albon radio may have been a contract ploy
Speaking on the Red Flags podcast, Steiner expressed his surprise at Albon’s tone. He also questioned why he was so angry about the timing of his pit stop.
But he then raised a theory that might explain the change in the 29-year-old’s demeanour. Albon earns £6.5m per year at Williams, £2m less than new teammate Carlos Sainz.
And yet, the lesser-paid driver has been the clear team leader so far, beating Sainz in every meaningful session. If he can continue to dominate the head-to-head (when the Spaniard has had more time to adapt), his stock will climb significantly.
By complaining about the car and perceived operational mistakes, Albon makes his own performances look better. Steiner suspects he may feel underappreciated.
“Albon is more the person who’s very well spoken, very calm all the time,” Steiner said. “I was quite surprised myself about how fiery he got about that one. He didn’t shut up about his gear shift, he continued to tell them.
“I was a little bit surprised when he was critical about the strategy. Nothing happened anyway.
“It could be, just thinking out loud, that maybe he’s negotiating his contract now, and it’s a tactic. He needs to make people aware that ‘guys I’m not here to play Mr 20% of the other one, I want the same slice of the cake’.
Alex Albon will be delighted that he rejected one big-name F1 team to stay at Williams
It’s worth remembering that Albon signed a new Williams deal last year, committing to the Grove outfit until at least the end of 2027. It’s unlikely that he’d negotiate fresh terms so soon, but equally, he’d be entitled to demand a pay rise if he was still the no. 1 driver in the standings later in the year.
Williams inserted a hefty buyout clause in Albon’s contract, so clearly James Vowles was desperate to keep him. They were able to tie him down in the midst of a chaotic driver market.
Red Bull tried to re-sign Albon before they turned to an internal replacement for Sergio Perez. Together with his camp, he ‘swerved’ the offer.
And that’s already looking like a wise decision. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko axed Liam Lawson after just two races, highlighting once again the seemingly impossible challenge of partnering Max Verstappen.
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