APRIL 5, 2025

Albon jetted into Thai earthquake for F1 talks

Alex Albon jetted into his native country last week expecting only to support Thailand's bid for a Formula 1 race.

Actually, he landed in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake that so far has cost at least 3000 lives.

It was like DEFCON 3, the British-born Thai driver for Williams told Sky Deutschland. "Everyone was totally panicking.

It was almost surreal because I had no mobile internet and could only see people panicking, but I didn't know why. It was a bit scary.

When he checked into his hotel, his alarm continued.

There were cracks everywhere, Albon revealed. I was surprised that most of the buildings were still standing. It was quite frightening.

Prior to the earthquake, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had also travelled to Bangkok, where he - like Albon - met with Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

A memorandum of understanding about a debut race in 2028 was subsequently signed.

We're making progress, 29-year-old Albon said, "even if nothing is finalised yet.

"But it's really nice to see how seriously Thailand is taking this. They're very committed. And I think they have a strong concept.

I've gotten a rough overview of what they're planning, and it looks good. What they're putting together is pretty impressive.

(GMM)