Helmut Marko accuses Lewis Hamilton of ‘putting the brake’ on axed Red Bull star’s career | F1 | Sport

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that Lewis Hamilton ‘put a brake on’ Alex Albon’s F1 career after the pair collided in the closing stages of the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix and again at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix with the Thai-British driver losing out on both occasions.

The first clash between the pair came at Interlagos in 2019. After a late safety car pit-stop left him in P4, Hamilton first moved past Pierre Gasly before attempting a move at turn ten. Albon made contact with the Mercedes driver sending him into the gravel and out of the points. His team-mate Max Verstappen walked away with the race win that afternoon.

Albon’s contact with Hamilton in Austria the following year was even more frustrating. With fresher tyres and only the two Mercedes drivers ahead of him following a late safety car, he was primed for a shot at a maiden race win, but the pair came together at turn three, once again sending Albon into the gravel. 

Speaking to The Red Bulletin, Marko explained: « Alex had a lot of accidents in the lower categories, so we parted ways. After that turbulent phase, we signed him again and he hadn’t lost any of that speed. Lewis didn’t wreck his career, but he did put a brake on it.

“He was second in Brazil in 2019 when Hamilton ran him off the track. The following year, Alex tried to pass Hamilton on the outside at the Red Bull Ring, but he threw him into the gravel. 

“He would have won that race, but he came away empty-handed. He needed a long time to recover from that. Alex is a very fast driver, but I wonder if he’s too nice. He seems like someone like Coulthard, everyone likes him, but he wasn’t too tough in the end.”

Albon has since rebuilt his career at Williams after taking a year away from the sport following Red Bull’s decision to replace him with Sergio Perez ahead of the 2021 season. The 27-year-old has established himself as a capable team leader during his two campaigns for the Grove-based team thus far.

After dominating team-mate Logan Sargeant in every metric and recording all but one of Williams’ 28-point haul in 2023, the former Red Bull star is attracting interest from some top teams as the driver market prepares for a shake-up this summer.