(Motorsport-Total.com) – 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 is often “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 importance on taking some distance [between races], taking time for myself, and maybe spending one or two nights at home before flying out again or whatever.”
For example, he felt “that I was pretty burned out last year,” he admits. Especially the end-of-season phase 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.
Formula 1 drivers with the most seasons for one team
Mercedes recently also explained how important it is in this context not to overload drivers with activities off the race track. 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 race track or other events,” revealed deputy team principal Bradley Lord recently.
“We often tell the drivers: ‘Listen, these things won’t make you faster, but if we get it wrong, they can definitely slow you down,'” said Lord.
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