Alex Albon arrived in his native Thailand last week with the intention of bolstering the country's bid to host a Formula 1 race, only to find himself in the midst of a devastating earthquake that has claimed at least 3,000 lives to date.
"It was like DEFCON 3," the British-born Thai Williams driver told Sky Deutschland. "Everyone was totally panicking. It was almost surreal because I had no mobile internet and could only see people panicking, but I didn't know why. It was a bit scary."
His unease persisted upon reaching his hotel. "There were cracks everywhere," Albon disclosed. "I was surprised that most of the buildings were still standing. It was quite frightening."
Before the disaster struck, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had also visited Bangkok, preceding Albon's own discussions with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The Domenicali talks reportedly culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a prospective debut race in 2028.
"We're making progress," said the 29-year-old Albon, "even if nothing is finalised yet. But it's really nice to see how seriously Thailand is taking this. They're very committed. And I think they have a strong concept. I've gotten a rough overview of what they're planning, and it looks good. What they're putting together is pretty impressive."
