Alexander Albon already training for 2026 as F1 drivers face brutal off-season schedule
“It’s brutal to be honest with you. I don’t think it’s enough.”
Williams driver Alexander Albon isn’t mincing words about the shockingly short break F1 drivers get between seasons.
While most drivers are enjoying some time off before pre-season preparations begin, Albon is already looking ahead to 2026, focusing on his fitness regimen during the brief winter pause.
Speaking with GPblog in Abu Dhabi, Albon revealed just how little downtime drivers actually get.
“I think I have seven days off. We finish next week, we do something later next week, do the Christmas parties and all this kind of thing, and then we go to the factory.”
After those brief moments to switch off, Albon’s already jumping back into preparation mode.
“Then I go for seven days, I come back, I do Christmas for my family, and then on the 27th December, I start my training camp.”
The grind doesn’t stop there.
“Then 5th January, 6th January, we’re back in the factory. So, yes, not a lot of time to rest.”
With next year’s packed calendar looming, the Thai-British driver believes teams need to be smart about managing driver workloads.
“I think energy management next year is going to be so important. I think the teams are going to really have to respect that,” Albon explained.
He stressed that teams need to be “quite principled” in their approach to the season.
“It’s busy from testing, busy from such a short turnaround. Yes, it’s going to be tough.”
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