Williams is one of just two Formula 1 teams yet to score a point after six rounds of the 2024 season, so why has Alex Albon penned a deal committing his long-term future to the team?
Albon’s signature at Williams means one of the top-tier talent dominoes has fallen in the driver market.
Vowles has been bullish about retaining Albon’s services ever since his name cropped up as a potential candidate to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, or even displace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
With that in mind, Team Principal James Vowles asked Albon in a one-to-one interview presented by Williams why the Anglo-Thai driver has committed long-term to the Grove-based outfit and why upon signing it “immediately felt” like the right decision.
“I believe [in] the journey,” Albon responded.
“That’s where it’s all come down to. I think the openness and the honesty of where we are, even in the present, we weren’t ever trying to say it was better than it was, but there was always an action.
“It was the willingness of the people that were in the factory who wanted the change. You had this feeling that we’re always going in the right direction. For the last year and a half, two years now, we’ve all been looking at the same kind of forward trajectory.”
After a year out of F1, Albon reinvigorated his career upon joining Williams in the 2022 season, getting the most out of an uncompetitive package and proving why he belonged in the series.
Last year, with Vowles at the helm, Williams upped its game and Albon did so in tandem, scoring 27 of the team’s 28 points en route to a seventh-place finish in the Constructors’ standings.
This year so far hasn’t gone to plan, with a disrupted off-season and the infamous Australia chassis swap being particular low-lights for a squad aiming to be on the up.
Albon has looked beyond these setbacks and sees positive things in Williams’ future, motivating him to sign beyond 2026.
“It was one of them ones where, when you look at the results to begin the season, it was almost like it’s unfair where we are because I feel like there’s so much that has gone right,” Albon said.
“I guess unfair is not a great choice because it’s racing.
“In the end, it’s results-based, but I feel like the foundations of this team have improved so much, and we are forever evolving that.
“I feel like there’s clearly so much room now for us to grow, where I didn’t feel necessarily that was the case when I first joined.”
