Williams Racing announced a multi-year contract extension with driver Alexander Albon that will keep the Thai competitor with the organization for the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season.
The 26-year-old Albon is currently embarking in his first F1 season with Williams, where he has achieved two top-10 points-paying results through the first 13-scheduled events: a 10th-place result in the Australian Grand Prix in April and a ninth-place result in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix in May. With a total of three points, which also mark the only points scored by Williams thus far, Albon is ranked in 19th place in the drivers’ standings.
“I am really excited to be staying with Williams Racing for 2023 and look forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team in the remainder of this season and next year,” Albon said. “The team has made some strong gains this year and it’s exciting to continue this journey and further develop our learnings together.”
Prior to Williams, Albon spent the 2019 and 2020 F1 seasons between Toro Rosso (currently AlphaTauri) and Red Bull Racing. After commencing the first 12 events with Toro Rosso in 2019, Albon was promoted to Red Bull as he replaced Pierre Gasly, who was demoted to Toro Rosso. After earning eight top-six results with his worst result being 14th in Brazil during the final nine events, Albon retained his seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen for the 2020 season. Despite earning his maiden two podiums and a total of 12 top-10 results throughout the 17-race schedule in 2020, Albon was demoted to the role of test and reserve driver for Red Bull while being replaced by Sergio “Checo” Perez in 2021.
Through 51 previous starts in Formula One, Albon has achieved two podiums, 200 points and an average-finishing result of 10.1.
“Alex is a tremendous driver and valued member of Williams Racing, so we’re thrilled to be able to confirm we will be working with him on a long-term basis,” Jost Capito, Team Principal of Williams, added. “Alex brings a great blend of skill and insightful learnings that will help bring the team greater success in the future. He’s a fierce competitor, has proved a popular and loyal team member and we are delighted that he will provide a stable base for us to continue to develop in this new F1 car era.”
Additional announcements regarding Williams’ driver lineup for the 2023 season, including a status update for their current second competitor Nicholas Latifi, are yet to be determined.
With his plans for next season set, Albon will be returning to action at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix on August 28.
