Albon pledges future to Williams with new contract extension

The Williams Formula 1 team has tied down Alex Albon to a multi-year contract extension until at least the end of 2026.

Albon’s previous Williams deal was due to end next year, but his excellent 2023 form for the team made him a left-field player in the ongoing silly season. Now the 28-year-old’s pledging of his future to the Grove squad has taken him off the market. “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,” he said.

Team boss James Vowles was pleased to secure his lead driver for the foreseeable future as he continues to put the building blocks in place for Williams’s recovery plan. “He has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication, and this is a huge vote of confidence in Williams and the journey back to competitiveness that we are on,” said Vowles.

After missing the 2021 F1 season when he lost his Red Bull race seat, Albon joined Williams in 2022. He quickly established himself as the team’s lead driver, and in 2023 he dragged the struggling Williams up to seventh place in the constructors’ table by scoring 27 of the team’s 28 points.

Albon and Williams are yet to score points in 2024 after a difficult start to the year, with the squad desperate for upgrades in a tight midfield battle. But with Albon becoming the latest domino to fall on the driver market, this is expected to yield more transfer action at this weekend’s Monaco GP. Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas has been linked to the second Williams seat, while Haas has built a shortlist that is topped by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.