Golf is slow but helps Albon unwind

LONDON • Motorsport is dangerous, as it says on every ticket, but Williams driver Alex Albon reckons that being near him on a golf course also has its risks.

The British-born Thai racer is dating Chinese LPGA Tour golfer Muni "Lily" He and he recently took part in a pro-am tournament in Spain.

Albon revealed his partner had tried out his home racing simulator, with all the assists, and had no doubt she was a better driver than he was a golfer. But her abilities behind the wheel, just like his technique on the greens, remain a work in progress.

"It's a genuine hazard to have someone like me on the course. There's so many fans around and... it's hard to hit a drive straight," he said when asked about his love of the slower-paced game.

McLaren's Lando Norris, Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc are also part of a group of young drivers for whom golf offers a chance to step out of the fast lane.

Norris even played at Augusta National after the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month.

"You literally walk to a ball that's still. It's about as slow as you can get," said Albon - who also lives in Monaco along with a majority of the drivers - of golf, which helps him and his peers wind down.

"It's a good laugh, it's relaxing... sometimes now, we are leaving (for races) a day early so we can play golf on a Wednesday or whatever it may be. It's become a hobby of ours. We have a group chat and we're always on it, talking about golf.

"We don't have much time to overthink (in F1). A lot of what we do is very instinctive. We are feeling everything. You make a mistake and within a second, you are into the next corner and it's all gone.

"In golf, it's just so mental. You have a bad shot, a bad drive off the tee and you've got about 30 minutes of thinking about it before you arrive at the next one."

Golf appears to have helped the 26-year-old, who started this F1 season seeking redemption.

The Williams driver, just one of only three Asians in the sport (together with Chinese Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo and Japanese Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri), had spent last year away from the grand prix grid after being replaced at Red Bull by Mexican Sergio Perez.

With three points from six races this year and a wealth of experience from his 2020 season at Red Bull, Albon believes he has established himself.

"Going into this year I wanted to prove people wrong," he said.

"I've always felt like I've been able to drive a car quickly and... it is a feeling like I've come into this year prepared and in a better place mentally as well than I was in 2020."

REUTERS