Alex Albon: Thailand's F1 Hero

0:00On March 23rd, Alex Albon just turned 30, and he's already the top Formula One driver from Thailand by points scored. In his debut season back in 2019, he grabbed eight points with a six-place finish at the German Grand Prix, beating the lifetime total of, the country's only previous F1 racer, Prince Vera. Racing for Williams now, Albon has podiums from Mugello in Bahrain in 2020, and he ended last season 8th in the standings. Southeast Asia has seen a handful of F1 drivers before Albon, like Malaysia's Alex Young in the early 2000s, and Indonesia's Rio Jarianto in 2016. Prince Vera raced 19 times from 1950 to 1954, grabbing a couple of top five finishes. The region even had teams with Malaysian back Lotus and Caterham on the grid in the early 2010s. Fans across Thailand and beyond see Albon as a hero, especially since his family has deep racing roots, and he races under the Thai flag.

1:01His rise from carting champs signed by Red Bull at age 12 inspired kids like Lando Norris, and he's kept pushing through team changes and setbacks to become a steady grid presence. Today, young talents from the region are climbing the ladders, with Thai drivers in Formula 2 and 3, like Tassen Apple and Thurphu Vasek scoring. Points early in Formula 2, a 19-year-old from Bangkok races Formula 3 and a Filipina driver one big in F1 Academy before stepping up. Albon calls the Singapore Grand Prix his home race, drawing huge crowds from Southeast Asia's racing family, and with more kids inspired to race, his. Story promises even bigger chapters ahead. You've been listening to F1 News today, AI-powered team coverage.