Alex Albon set the record straight after his seemingly sharp radio messages to the Williams pit wall during last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix raised a few eyebrows.
The Anglo-Thai driver, who appeared frustrated during the race over strategy decisions, insists fans didn’t get the full picture – thanks to some selectively ill-timed TV broadcasts.
Midway through a tricky race in Montreal, Albon’s voice crackled over the team radio with the pointed line: “I don’t know why you don’t listen to me.” That, paired with another tense message when he was brought in for tyres a few laps later, suggested tension was brewing between driver and team.
But after the race, Albon was quick to dial down the drama – with a smile.
“I feel like they strategically played my radio messages,” he told the media. “I was saying it every single lap that this was not the right thing to do, but they wait until certain moments to post it.”
Turns out, what may have sounded like a driver reaching boiling point was more a matter of race-long commentary, edited down to make prime-time TV more spicy.
Behind the radio waves, Albon's frustration was rooted in a weekend where Williams showed flashes of real promise. After qualifying P10, Albon looked on course for a solid points finish – until a power unit failure on Lap 46 ended his charge.
“We missed an opportunity this weekend,” he admitted. “I think we’ve been quick, we missed out in qualifying, we need to get on top of the tyres, need to understand the car with the wind sensitivity still playing a little bit this weekend.”
Albon felt that the FW47 had genuine race pace, and he wasn’t wrong — the car was competitive until technical gremlins struck.
“The car was really strong in the race, easy top 10 and it’s frustrating to miss out,” he said.
Still, the 28-year-old wasn't afraid to point the finger at himself for some of the early struggles.
“My first lap wasn’t good,” he conceded. “I need to do a better job.”
Albon’s race ended early due to a power unit failure – part of a growing concern for Mercedes, which supplies engines to Williams. According to Albon, it wasn’t just bad luck – the FW47’s position in the middle of a tightly packed train created airflow issues.
“The car being stuck in dirty air made it difficult to get clean air into the intake,” he explained, warning: “It’s not just going to be this race that happens.”
In the end, it was a weekend of what-ifs for Albon and Williams – a car with points potential, as Carlos Sainz demonstrated, a race of solid execution up until failure, and radio messages that told only half the story.
As for the on-air dramatics? Albon took it all in stride. But next time, he might be hoping the world hears a little more of the full conversation.
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