Speaking on Formula 1's Beyond the Grid podcast, 2022 Williams driver and former Red Bull man Alex Albon opened up about his time driving alongside 2021 world champion Max Verstappen. 

The young Thai driver was incredibly complementary of his former teammate, drawing comparisons to MotoGP ace Marc Marquez, while admitting his driving style is difficult to follow at times. 

"It's a weird comparison to make, but if anyone watches MotoGP, think of someone like Marc Marquez," Albon said. 

"[Verstappen] has a very specific driving style and it works for him, and it's quick, but it's not always the easiest to follow."

Albon also discussed the widely believed rumour that Red Bull develop their car specifically to suit Verstappen's driving style, putting his teammates at a disadvantage. 

"If he's always doing well, there's no reason for the team to ever deviate to something else," Albon stated forthright. 

"I think part of that was, when you look at the data, there's nothing that goes, 'Wow, this and this and this is incredible'.

"Of course, he's on the limit, and he likes a car that's very much on the nose, and I think that's a pretty well-known thing.”

Continuing on, Albon admitted it can be mentally taxing to race alongside Verstappen and was complimentary towards Sergio Perez who has performed very well alongside the Dutchman. 

"It cannot feel great as a teammate. I think even Checo [Perez] found that out, last year and even this year. Most probably, [the] new car and new regs [have] rebalanced everything a little bit more.

"I think Checo's doing a great job kind of up against him, but he's obviously super talented and likes the car in a certain way, and it's hard for others to follow."

Parking this way 👉🅿️ We've reserved your spot @Max33Verstappen 😉 pic.twitter.com/LchO020Cmk

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 28, 2022

Albon also praised the straight forward attitude of Verstappen, and noted his immense self confidence, which some view as arrogance, a claim he denies. 

"No, he's not [political] at all. He's very straightforward, one of the most straightforward actually," he commented. 

"He has a lot of self-confidence, a lot of self-belief, which you would do if you won a World Championship, but even before then. He's in a position where he doesn't need to be political, because he can just do the talking on the circuit.

"[Some] people see him as maybe [being] arrogant. I don't think he is at all. I think he's just very determined, very hungry, sure of himself, but he's not arrogant.

"And he can just simply do the talking on the track."