Alex Albon has disclosed that he held discussions with other Formula 1 teams prior to deciding to commit his long-term future to Williams with a contract extension.
Williams announced this week that Albon had signed a new multi-term agreement to remain with the team through the impending regulation change coming in 2026.
Albon’s impressive showings last term had seen him linked with the vacant Mercedes drive, while it was reported Red Bull retained interest in reacquiring his services.
But despite holding a deal through 2025 beforehand, the Anglo-Thai driver has opted to remove his name from the driver market and pledge his allegiance to Williams.
While he admitted that talks with rival sides had taken place, Albon has explained that sticking with the Grove-based squad represented the ideal choice for his future.
“I won’t say what teams that I was speaking to, but there were a few,” Albon divulged.
“Inevitably, it just fell down to what team do I think suited me best and that was Williams. So, looking at everything, there was obviously a lot of time to make a choice.
“It does seem a little bit now like it’s all just kind of being a bit of a waiting game and everyone just kind of delaying, delaying and whatnot.
“So, on my side, it was just about get it done, get it signed and focus more on building the story and focusing on the future for the team.”
There had been speculation that Red Bull had requested an option on Albon’s services, which would have put the Williams driver in the frame to replace Sergio Perez.
However, Albon has reiterated his devotion to Williams’ bid to return to the sharp end in F1 and denied that the chance to make a return to Red Bull had tempted him.
When it was put to him that he could have waited for that opening, Albon stated: “No, it’s all about the journey.
“I think to look elsewhere and to see the ifs, buts and maybes, there’s a lot of moving parts. Especially around these kind of seats going on right now.
“There’s only really one at Mercedes. A lot has to happen and there’s a lot of different ways.”
Albon believes sorting out his prospects this soon into the season will enable both himself and Williams to fixate on improving the squad’s on-track competitiveness.
The Grove-based squad has been unable to maintain the momentum from the past campaign and has failed to log a point across the opening six rounds of this term.
Asked whether there was a moment where he wavered on penning a fresh Williams deal, Albon replied: “No. Of course, keep my options open and talk to other teams.
“Obviously, the triggers were super early, generally this year. I would say to sign a contract now in May is still very early.
“The focus was purely to just get on with it. We have a big journey ahead of us. We’re not hiding around that.
“It’s nice to be able to go into the rest of this year now really just thinking about where are the areas in the team that we really need to change and move and develop.
“What areas in the car, especially from a more personal driving point of view, are we not fixing and focusing on?
“When you’re going through contract negotiations and all this kind of stuff, that doesn’t really exist too much.
“It’s more about the present and just focusing on the performances and all that kind of thing over the weekend.
“But now, there is stability and there is a focus now towards really building that team. I think James [Vowles, Team Principal] has said it before, but he’s very focused on me being a part of that journey and that project. I believe my role here with the team is not just being a racing driver. It’s much more than that.”
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