Alexander Albon, or Alex as he’s more commonly known, might not come across as someone who’s keen on playing jokes. At least not on the level of Daniel Ricciardo or Lando Norris.
But a few days ago, on World Poetry Day, Albon joined in the festivities by serenading McLaren driver, Norris, and Williams’ George Russell.
Standing with the piece of paper in front of him, Albon proceeds to give his friends the poem of the century. He began: "There once was this kid called Lando, who thought he could fill the shoes of Fernando."
Ooh, what a burn! Fernando Alonso quit Formula 1 at the end of the 2018 season, and McLaren drafted in Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. as its new driver pairing for 2019. The team opted to retain the services of both drivers for 2020.
When Albon got to Russell, he didn’t mince his words when he said: "The only driver yet to score, what are you even doing this for."
In 2019, George Russell failed to score a single point for his Williams team, but the team retained his services for 2020. He is expected to lead the team this year ahead of new team mate, Nicholas Latifi.
Albon’s quick rise
Following a strong 2018 season in Formula 2, Albon was left without a drive for 2019. Red Bull made a call to the Taiwanese driver and offered him a racing seat at Toro Rosso – Red Bull’s B-team. Albon accepted and lined up at the season-opening Australian GP.
Meanwhile, at Red Bull, Pierre Gasly was struggling to match Max Verstappen’s pace and by the season’s midway mark, Red Bull opted to have Albon and Gasly swap seats. For the remainder of the season, Albon was Verstappen’s new team mate. After just 12 races, Albon made the jump to the 'big league'.
WATCH: Max Verstappen and Alex Albon swap their F1 race cars for... cooler boxes?
He made an impression on Red Bull’s bigwigs and was retained to race alongside Verstappen in 2020. If Albon can keep it together, he will be up for podium finishes this year, and perhaps even race wins.
Albon, Norris, and Russell are some of the fresh young talent in F1, alongside Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.