Alex Albon’s recent return to Formula 1 has been sensational, with the ex-Red Bull driver having rediscovered is finest form at Williams.
Williams signing Albon to replace George Russell in 2022 has proven to be a piece of genius, with Albon having led the Grove-based team superbly.
Despite having raced in DTM in 2021 following his Red Bull departure, Albon hasn’t lost any of his speed.
Albon shot onto the F1 scene in 2019 and immediately looked impressive at AlphaTauri, to the extent that Red Bull promoted him into their team mid-season, to replace Pierre Gasly.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
He remained with Red Bull through 2020, until he was replaced by Sergio Perez for 2021.
Like several other drivers, Albon struggled to compete with team-mate Max Verstappen, who has been somewhat of a team-mate killer.
Perez’s signature left Albon without a seat for 2021 and put his F1 future into jeopardy.
Since 2022, he’s found a home at Williams, and is responsible for the bulk of their points ever since.
In fact, he’s responsible for all of their points so far in 2023.
He’s certainly showing his loyalty to Williams and has reportedly rejected a return to Red Bull, who are highly impressed by Albon’s form since returning to the sport.
According to F1 correspondent and presenter Lawrence Barretto, Red Bull aren’t the only team wanting the Thai driver’s services.
“Many of Red Bull’s senior engineers are understood to rate him very highly,” Barretto wrote on F1.com.
“It’s believed there have been conversations (either formal or informal) with at least half the grid, some of which, sources tell me, are top teams.
“The driver market is wide open for 2025 – aside from McLaren, every single team have at least one seat available.
“Few [drivers] are operating at such a high level. If he maintains this trajectory, it’s difficult to see how he won’t be a key player in the 2025 driver market, which has already opened for business.”
READ: Red Bull make huge claim after Toto Wolff accusation
Former Aston Martin strategist and Sky Sports F1 pundit, Bernie Collins, has pinpointed Albon’s defensive masterclass at the Canadian Grand Prix as his best result of the first half of the season, where he made a tough one-stop strategy work to score huge points.
“The Canadian Grand Prix provided a season-best finish for Alex Albon and Williams,” Collins also wrote for F1.com.
“Albon’s brilliant execution of the one-stop strategy resulted in him gaining five positions in the second stint and defending these to the end to seal a P7 finish – a season best for both Albon and the team.”