Alex Albon recalls ‘scary’ Thailand visit after earthquake near-miss

Alex Albon has described his “scary” experience in Thailand following the recent earthquake that impacted the region.

A devastating earthquake in Myanmar has resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people, while casualties have also been reported in neighbouring country Thailand.

Albon, who races under a Thai licence, returned to the nation last week to meet with the country's prime minister as it pushes ahead with plans to establish a grand prix in Bangkok.

The 29-year-old revealed his plane touched down in Thailand just half an hour after the incident occurred.

“We came right after the earthquake as well so that was a bit tricky to navigate,” Albon told media including RacingNews365.

“I landed 30 minutes after it happened.

“So when I landed it was like DEFCON 3 and everyone freaking out. And I was like, what's going on?

“It was almost surreal because I didn't have data on my phone so I only could see people panicking and I didn't know what was going on. So it was a bit scary.”

Rescue efforts are continuing in the region, with Myanmar worse impacted compared to Thailand.

However, its effects were still felt in Thailand as Albon stated he could see cracks in his hotel from the earthquake, leaving him surprised that many buildings stayed intact.

“But [it's] good to see people in good spirits for the most part, glad that it wasn't more damaged,” he said.

“Like our hotel room got damaged really badly, like cracks everywhere. 

“I'm just surprised that the majority of the buildings stayed up. It was a bit scary but all good.”