Exclusive; F1 star loved by Red Bull engineers holds talks with “half of the grid” over switch
With reported interest from Ferrari and renewed interest from the likes of Alpi and Haas, Williams star Alex Albon looks set to play a significant role in the 2024 F1 driver market.
Several F1 teams have held talks with Alex Albon as the British-Thai driver considers his future options.
Albon is entering the final year of his current contract with Williams, who has led the team for the past two seasons. During this period, he not only regained his place on the grid, but also distinguished himself through performances and results.
He finished seventh in last year’s Constructors’ Championship, scoring just one of the team’s 28 points. His deal was completed in December, putting the spotlight on other teams with faster cars.
Albon was approached by two teams before the 2023 season, but was rejected. Lawrence Barretto, writing on the official F1 website, calls the two teams Alpine and Haas.
And they are not passionate. Mirror Sport understands the 27-year-old is at the top of the list of potential signings if Ferrari want to make a switch, and the report claims they are even more interested.
“Carlos Sainz has come close to the honor of being Alex Albon, the biggest draw in the driver market,” Barretto wrote. “Williams is keen to maintain his record in Thailand, where he single-handedly led the team to seventh among constructors last year.
“Albon and his team have been involved in discussions with at least half the grid about future moves, with two teams (Alpine and Haas) wanting his services for 2023. Ferrari is considered one of the interested parties,” he said.
The report suggested that Albon could return to Red Bull, adding: “My sources tell me that the Red Bull engineers think very highly of him.” Williams admitted the runner had been in regular contact with him over the past year. His old team boss, Christian Horner.
“Christian always texts me ‘Good job,'” she said. “It’s always good to keep that relationship with your current team bosses. It was a really good weekend for us and it was great to have Christian talk about it.”
Last November, Horner said of his former driver: “He’s brilliant, he’s fantastic and he did a fantastic job for us when he stepped down as a test driver. He never complained, never cried and worked long hours. And I’m very happy that he has a place at Williams. “He’s found his form, now he’s got experience, he’s definitely gotten stronger and he’s an asset to look at again.”
