Alex addresses the 'pole position' meme

Hear the story behind Alex Albon’s latest viral moment

Published

08 JUL 2026

Est. reading time

2 min

Ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend, Alex Albon made an appearance at Atlassian Williams Formula 1 Team’s Fan Zone where he spoke about a range of topics in front of a packed house. Among the discussions, there was one subject that many supporters were hoping would come up - the viral “pole position” meme that's been circulating on social media.

The topic was raised during the live Q&A after Matt and Tommy from the P1 Podcast spotted a fan in the crowd holding a sign featuring the meme. Addressing the clip, Alex revealed he was completely unaware of its popularity when it first began making the rounds online.

Explaining the moment behind the story, Albon said: “I was very jet lagged, we’d just arrived in Japan and we’d arrived quite late”. He went on to admit he didn't know that the clip was circulating, adding: “I didn't even know this thing went viral because i dont have social media on my phone anymore”.

According to Alex, it was actually his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who brought the meme to his attention. “Carlos kept on saying ‘pole position pole position’ and I was like what are you talking about? He then showed me the video.” Alex said.

The Thai driver could only laugh at the attention the clip had received, joking: “Why do I look like that? I don't understand! I don't know whether it's just the grading on the video”.

View Post on Instagram

Also during the event, Alex gave his fans an insight into his childhood while taking part in the World Cup Drivers game with Matt and Tommy. When Germany's representative, Michael Schumacher, came up, he spoke about how much influence the seven-time world champion had on him growing up.

“Im super obsessed with Michael,” Albon admitted. “My dad decorated my bedroom for me. I had red carpet, red walls, red cupboards, a red alarm clock, red pillowcases, a red duvet. People would say if you came into my room, it looked like a murder scene!” The story prompted laughter from the crowds, with Matt also admitting he is a Schumacher fan boy.

From viral memes to childhood racing heroes, Alex’s appearance at the London Fan Zone gave fans plenty of memorable moments ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend.