Alexander Albon admits: Was “pretty burned out” in 2025

– The work of a Formula 1 driver nowadays involves much more than just driving a car. Especially on race weekends, many drivers have numerous appointments with media, partners, and sponsors besides the activities on the track.

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In the podcast The Fast And The Curious, Williams driver Alexander Albon has now openly explained that he often feels “totally drained,” “especially when we go to our races in America, because there we are more in demand – whether through partners, through content, or whatever,” he reports.

“That just takes a toll on my energy,” admits Albon and explains: “That’s why I place much more value on [between races] gaining some distance, taking time for myself, and maybe spending one or two nights at home before I fly out again or whatever.”

For example, he felt “that I was pretty burned out last year,” he admits. Especially the end of the season is a challenge for many drivers. This could be a topic again this year.

Herculean schedule at the end of the 2026 season

If the two Grands Prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi take place as planned, the 2026 season will end with nine races in eleven weeks. Between the race in Baku at the end of September and the finale in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of December, there would be only two free weekends.

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Because the Bahrain Grand Prix was squeezed into the calendar in Sepang in October, the season would also end with three overseas triple-headers: Baku – Sepang – Singapore, Austin – Mexico City – Brazil, and Las Vegas – Qatar – Abu Dhabi.

Photo series: Formula 1 drivers with the most seasons for a team

Mercedes recently also explained how important it is in this context not to overload drivers with activities off the racetrack. For example, they explicitly made sure not to overwhelm Kimi Antonelli in his first Formula 1 season in 2025.

“That’s why we made sure he wasn’t overloaded – neither by marketing commitments nor by PR activities at the racetrack or other events,” revealed deputy team principal Bradley Lord recently.

“We often tell the drivers: ‘Listen, we can’t make you faster with these things, but if we get it wrong, we can definitely slow you down,'” said Lord.

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