Albon Reveals He Will Spend Just Five Days at Home Between Baku and the F1 Season Finale: 'I Pretty Much Live in a Suitcase'

'From now until the last race of the year, I'll spend five days in Monaco at home'

Alex Albon has offered a stark insight into the punishing travel schedule that defines a Formula 1 season, admitting he will spend just five days at his Monaco home between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the final race of the year.

Speaking exclusively to F1.com in Baku at the start of a triple-header that continued in Malaysia and concluded in Singapore, the Williams driver was candid about how little time he spends at home. "From now until the last race of the year, I'll spend five days in Monaco at home," he said. "During the second half of the season, I pretty much live in a suitcase. It is weird to think about."

The triple-header presented a particularly awkward set of logistical hurdles. The paddock shifted four hours ahead from Azerbaijan to Southeast Asia, and while Malaysia and Singapore share a time zone, the contrast between Sepang's daytime running and Singapore's famous night race forced drivers into a significant sleep-cycle reset.

"Malaysia and Singapore are the two most physical tracks we have of the year, and they're back-to-back, so that's going to be a real challenge for us," Albon said. "On top of that, we're shifting time zones between Malaysia and Singapore. Even though they are an hour's flight away, because one is a night race and one is a day race, it's around eight hours of time zone shifting that you need to do."

Asked whether he ever grows accustomed to such stretches, he was blunt: "No, it does feel like a lot. There's the time zone shifting, which obviously we all have to deal with, and then there's the physicality of the races themselves, which makes a big difference."

Turning jet lag into a 'fine art'

With seven seasons of Formula 1 experience behind him, the Williams driver has built an elaborate system to manage the toll of constant travel. Much of his calendar is planned long before he reaches a circuit, with his manager coordinating around team, partner and travel commitments alongside Williams.

"I spend every year trying to optimise my travel and my energy levels," he explained. "You can't imagine how much time my manager spends on scheduling and speaking with the team. We have partners that we need to fulfil [commitments for], and because of my Thai background, I'm going to Thailand after Singapore as well, so it does become busy."

His sleep strategy is equally deliberate. "I have blue-light glasses, caffeine gum and eye masks. I don't like using sleeping supplements, so I use natural tart cherry extract. That helps promote melatonin and helps you go to sleep naturally," he said. "It's become a fine art. I usually start time zone shifting two or three days before I fly out, so that by the time I arrive at the track, I'm somewhat sensible."

Albon also works with a sleep doctor alongside his nutritionist, though he believes his accumulated experience does most of the work. "At this point in my career, I don't need much help. I know what I need to do."

A chair, an oil diffuser and a suitcase that never gets unpacked

The practical realities of life on the move are, by his own admission, unusual. Albon travels with a large suitcase prepared for every climate, and rarely bothers to unpack.

"We travel with a big suitcase where you have to be prepared for cold weather, hot weather, all that stuff. Honestly, I buy things on the road, whether it's underwear, socks or plain shirts, just to keep ticking over," he said. Asked whether he ever unpacks, he laughed: "No, I'm the opposite! We try to fly in as late as we can."

Instead, he carries a handful of items to make unfamiliar hotel rooms feel like home. "I have an oil diffuser, my iPad, and I have a chair. It sounds really weird to say, but I have a chair that helps promote sleep, and I take that around with me as well."

He also explained how late his arrivals often are. "Even when we go back to Europe, we're often returning to the UK for simulator work or marketing days with the team. By the time we leave again, it's normally Wednesday night, or even Thursday morning for a European race. I don't spend much time in the hotel. When we arrive, I go straight to bed, wake up and leave for the track."

Missing the routine of home — and finding it through food

What Albon misses most, he says, is not a specific place but a sense of normality. "I miss routine. I miss being normal, to be honest with you," he admitted. "When I'm on the road, we'll be at a race a lot of the time. If we've got triple-headers, we fly on the Sunday night and arrive on the Monday."

He added: "I do it, but it's not always that spontaneous to walk around the city, grab a coffee or get lunch. I don't get recognised that often, but during a race weekend you get recognised a lot more, so it's harder to do the normal things. Those are the things I miss. I enjoy being at home, not doing much. Hotel rooms can feel quite cabin fever-esque as well, so you do struggle with that."

To counter the hotel-room claustrophobia, Albon has leaned into a passion for food. Alongside his partner, professional golfer Lily Muni He, he started a series called Al-bon Appétit this season, filming restaurant visits during race weeks around the world for social media.

"Food is definitely synonymous with Asian culture, you'll be hard-pressed to find an Asian who doesn't like food!" he joked. "It brings a bit of routine too. On Wednesday nights, sometimes Thursdays, we'll find a restaurant in the city. We'll find a small place that's famous for something, or somewhere we know has really good food, and we thought, 'Why not film it since we're doing it anyway?'"

He continued: "Giovanni [Moioli], who's behind the camera, is a super nice guy and he makes it feel natural. It pretty much is the three of us having dinner. It's nice not to be ordering room service. I know there are a lot of drivers who spend their whole time in the hotel room, whereas I like to get out there as much as I can. I think some of the other drivers are too famous. They have no chance!"

Family remains a priority where possible. Although his home is in Monaco, Albon has taken a place closer to Williams' Grove base in the UK to see more of his relatives and their many cats. "I don't see my family all that much, unfortunately, and they're the ones who have all the cats as well," he said. "I try to make an effort... Before, I wouldn't even go back to my family house before simulator work, so I would almost never see them. This year, having them closer by has given me the chance to see them a lot more, which has been a small game-changer."

Sympathy for the crew logging the same air miles

Albon is quick to acknowledge that he is only one part of a much larger Williams operation moving around the calendar — and that his colleagues endure the same travel without the same comforts.

"It's possibly more different than you realise. It's actually quite disconnected in many ways," he said when asked whether travelling with the same group feels like a second home. "I feel for the team because, if you think about the big picture, I talk about my struggles and it's a little bit like I'm playing the violin. The staff, especially the race team, are doing the same amount of air miles as I am, yet they're not able to fly the way we are or stay in as nice a hot[el]."

For the Thai-British driver, the conclusion is simple: the glamour of the F1 calendar comes with a hidden cost measured in airports, hotel beds and time zones — and in a suitcase that rarely gets unpacked.