Few people on earth travel as often as professional athletes. With On the Road, the GQ Sports Travel Questionnaire, they’re weighing in on everything from room service to flying comfortably to their favorite chain restaurants.
Formula 1 drivers lead a jet-setting life, but even they can’t wait for summer vacation. And with the sport’s traditional August recess now underway—with more than four weeks off between Grands Prix—many are counting down the days to their upcoming holiday.
“I just try to keep my vacations as calm as possible,” says Williams Racing’s Alex Albon, as he takes a few moments to relax before a recent practice session. Since joining Formula 1 in 2019, the popular Thai-British driver has crisscrossed the globe several times over, taking more flights than he can remember. So, naturally, he’s decided to spend his August firmly on the ground, taking a road trip with his girlfriend, professional golfer Lily Muni He.
“I’m just so tired of planes,” Albon groans. He thinks for a second and quickly adds, with a chuckle, “Though I guess I should also be tired of driving!”
You can understand why Albon would want to take this road trip, though, especially when you hear the itinerary. The route will begin in Monaco, swing east to Tuscany, up towards Switzerland, down to Lake Como, and then conclude in Portofino.
“I’ve got myself a dream car that’s been sitting in the garage most of the year—a Porsche GT3 RS—so it’s almost an excuse just to give it a go,” he says. “It’s not comfortable, that’s for sure, but I’ll be in places known for great driving roads through the mountains… although I’m not sure my girlfriend will allow me to drive that quickly!”
After racking up countless frequent flyer miles through Formula 1, Albon considers himself something of a travel expert. One of the main drawbacks to his life on the road, though, is that he can’t spend as much time as he’d like with his beloved pets (who famously have their own Instagram account).
“We have to do a lot of Facetime,” he laughs. “Dogs can be quite receptive, but the cats?… They don’t care about you.”
As Formula 1 heads into the summer break, GQ spoke with Alex Albon about his bucket-list destinations, favorite hotel amenities, and go-to plane hacks.
With your summer vacation coming up, I’m curious: Do you usually prefer taking trips to warm or cold destinations?
I’m sure other drivers have said this, but we’re not really allowed to do any other sports—winter sports, especially. It’s in our contracts, so we’re in a bit of a corner. I usually spend my holidays in warm weather. Being Thai, I guess I’m biased towards Thailand.
But in December, we might split it up—doing something one week in Thailand and then go to Hokkaido for a week. Just experience the full spectrum, because… why not?
When you’re on a relaxing summer holiday, are you a pool or beach guy?
I love beaches, and I love secluded, quiet hotels—more like boutique hotels. Things that are just peaceful. My girlfriend and I are quite mixed on this: I could spend my time not doing anything. She could do that for about a day and then gets itchy feet, so our destination needs to be close enough to something as well, not just a total island retreat.
You’re obviously staying in hotel rooms constantly because of Formula 1. What amenities have you found make the perfect hotel stay?
Well, I’m biased towards random things. Blackout blinds are really important, just for our sleep. Good gyms, good health facilities—that’s always important. Those two things are my go-tos.
