Albon caught struggling on e-foil as Verstappen glided past in Sardinia

Alex Albon revealed an unplanned summer holiday crossover with Max Verstappen during the Formula 1 break, after the Red Bull champion caught the Williams driver repeatedly falling off an e-foil in Sardinia.

Albon shared the story on Williams’ official Team Torque podcast, appearing alongside new team-mate Carlos Sainz and team principal James Vowles. While recounting a busy off-season itinerary that also included a trip to South Africa, a week in the Dolomites, and a final training block in Monaco, Albon described spending four days at a popular Sardinian resort where he took up e-foiling — riding an electrically powered surfboard fitted with a hydrofoil beneath the surface.

Still finding his balance on the water, Albon noticed a stranger passing him at speed in a position of almost absurd calm. “He’s sitting on the edge, his legs are almost off the front, and he’s going flat out, but I mean really quick,” Albon said. “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.”

Albon said he did not recognise Verstappen at the time, only realising who it was after his partner Lily and Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet struck up a conversation. The four-time world champion later confirmed he had clocked Albon’s difficulties on the water. “He said, ‘Oh, yeah. I saw you. I saw you falling off on your e-foil,’” Albon recalled.

The anecdote offered a rare glimpse of the two drivers sharing the same off-duty space, with Verstappen’s effortless composure on the e-foil drawing an unintentional but pointed contrast with Albon’s learning curve — a dynamic that clearly amused both men.

F1 returned from the summer break with a sprint race weekend at Zandvoort, where Albon finished 16th in the sprint and qualified in the same position for the Dutch Grand Prix.