Williams Racing announced on Wednesday, the 15th of May, that the team has signed a contract extension with their star driver, Alex Albon.
Alex Albon has been with Williams since the start of the 2022 season. The Thai driver was out of F1 for two years before then, and the British team gave him his second chance.
The 28-year-old driver didn't disappoint his team with his performances over the next two seasons. In fact, Albon has been driving so well that many teams in the driver market started noticing him.
Even the top teams like Red Bull or Mercedes were rumored to be considering the Thai driver as an option for their 2025 seats, but it was later clarified by his team principal, James Vowles, that Albon's contract was valid until the end of 2025.
Consequently, no one expected Albon to be active on the market this season. However, as we learned today (May 15th), Albon trusted Williams and signed a contract extension.
The exact length of the contract was not specified, but Williams's press release stated it is a "multi-year" extension, suggesting Albon should remain with Williams at least until 2027. The 28-year-old said:
"I am incredibly happy to be remaining with Williams Racing and to continue working with such a talented and dedicated team of people."
"It has been a difficult start to the year but since joining Williams we have made significant progress together and I have seen the huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid."
Williams has not been doing exceptionally well over the last couple of seasons. However, team members say that things are about to change for the better, and with his contract extension, Albon showed his trust in the long-term project. He added:
"This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in which is why I have signed a multi-year contract."
"The journey will take time but I am confident we are building the right team to move forward and achieve great things in the years to come."