Williams Formula 1 driver Alex Albon has revealed a surprise encounter with Max Verstappen while attempting to learn how to e-foil during the summer break in Sardinia.
Speaking on the squad’s official Team Torque podcast alongside team-mate Carlos Sainz and team principal James Vowles, Albon detailed his packed summer itinerary before recounting the run-in with the four-time champion.
While spending four days in a popular Sardinia hotspot, Albon took up e-foiling – riding an electrically powered surfboard equipped with a hydrofoil. While struggling to maintain his balance on the water, he was passed by someone going full speed while sitting on the edge of the board, who later turned out to be Verstappen.
“I was learning how to e-foil. Have you ever tried this e-foiling thing? And I’m going around, and I see this guy come past,” Albon explained. “He’s sitting on the edge, his legs are almost off the front, and he’s going flat out, but I mean really quick. He looks like a Buddha, just like complete peace going through.
“I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ while I’m like this [struggling]. It was Max.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
“I was like, there’s no way. I didn’t know it was him at the time. I said to Lily, ‘Look who this guy is.’ And then obviously Kelly [Piquet] and Lily were chatting and then, ‘Oh, we’re next to you.’ So, in the end, he [said], ‘Oh, yeah. I saw you. I saw you falling off on your e-foil!'”
Albon’s break also included a brief trip to South Africa, a week in the Dolomites and a final week of training in Monaco.
F1 has now returned following the summer break with a sprint race weekend at Zandvoort. Albon finished 16th in the sprint race and has qualified in the same position for the Dutch Grand Prix.
