Making a comeback to Formula 1 after being dropped by your dream team is almost an impossible task, as has been proven by the constant waves of new drivers into the sport.
Alex Albon is one of the drivers who has managed to recover from his lowest point however, as the Thai driver returned to the Formula 1 grid last year with Williams after his sacking from Red Bull a year prior.
The 26-year-old impressed with Toro Rosso during his early F1 days and was promoted to the Red Bull senior team to replace Pierre Gasly, who was struggling to match the standards set by the high-flying Max Verstappen.
Albon was only given a year and a half with the energy drink giants however before he was released at the end of the 2020 season, going on to race in DTM before he was picked up by Williams to replace the Mercedes-bound George Russell.
READ: F1 chief admits they should have ‘foreseen’ risk of freak accident
While Albon’s time with Red Bull was not the roaring success that all parties would have hoped for, chief engineer Paul Monaghan has spoken highly of his former driver’s time with the team.
“Thinking back to Alex’s time with us, he came across a very conscientious, polite, gifted driver. He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted from the car straight off. He knew when it wasn’t to his liking and could tell you what was to his dislike,” explained Monaghan.
“We didn’t always manage to give him a car that was adequate for his wants. Obviously, he had a pretty rapid teammate which puts a little bit more pressure on him and he handled that, I though, exceptionally well for a young driver.”
READ: Charles Leclerc fires warning at Max Verstappen
Red Bull’s chief engineer continued on to praise Albon for his return to Formula 1, claiming that the Thai driver has made progress since his return to the sport.
“It’s nice to see the progress, and it’s nice to see them scoring points, so full credit to Alex for enduring a reasonably tough time, learning, not being despondent and pushing himself to achieve what his talents deserve. So many congratulations to him and long may his growth in the sport continue.”
Albon will take the lead in a team for the first time in his career next season, as Nicholas Latifi has been replaced by rookie Logan Sargeant after the Canadian failed to step up following George Russell’s departure from the team.