Lewis Hamilton has started the Silly Season with his sensational switch, even before a meter has been driven in 2024. Alexander Albon is next in line, because according to top journalist Peter Windsor, Red Bull Racing has signed a three-year contract with the Thai offered from 2025. This would mean that Albon will become Max Verstappen’s new teammate and Sergio Pérez will have to make way for him. While Mercedes may also be after the Williams driver.
“As I understand it, Albon has been offered a three-year contract by Red Bull to start in 2025,” Windsor said. “So I think you will see him next to Max Verstappen in the Red Bull”
According to the Brit, it is an offer he cannot refuse. “I can’t imagine he’s going to say no to it. As I understand it, it’s not 100% but 90% correct.”
Albon was already mentioned by insiders as an ideal candidate for Mercedes to take over Hamilton’s place, partly due to his remarkable performances at Williams and the connections that both racing stables have because of the Mercedes power source. It is difficult to say whether these rumors have sparked something at Red Bull Racing.
Albon previously competed for the Austrian racing team as a teammate of Max Verstappen. Midway through 2019, he replaced the disappointing Pierre Gasly. The Thai was allowed to further prove himself in 2020, but the management was not satisfied. Red Bull opted for experience with Perez. Albon was allowed to stay on as a test and reserve driver in 2021. In 2022 – after a helping hand from his employer – Albon was given a new opportunity at Williams, which has worked out well so far.
The Williams driver said at the beginning of January that he was ready for a seat at the top again. He is grateful for the things he learned at Williams, he said in conversation with Motorsport Total: “Other drivers had difficult phases in their careers, such as Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. He had a hard time finding a feeling in the car. “They tried to make me as comfortable as possible in the Red Bull, but that never really worked. With today’s knowledge, I could do it. But in retrospect, that’s easy to say.”
2024-02-05 22:25:11
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