Alex Albon had a contract with Williams that was supposed to end in 2025. But because he performed so well in 2023, the team wanted to keep him longer.
Now, Albon, who is 28 years old, has agreed to stay with Williams even beyond 2026. The team said they signed him for multiple years.
Albon 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. 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.”
The boss of the team, James Vowles, said he’s happy to have Albon on board for a long time. He said, “We are delighted to secure Alex’s long-term future with Williams Racing. He has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication to the cause and this is a huge vote of confidence in Williams and the journey back to competitiveness that we are on. Since joining, Alex has consistently demonstrated his ability to perform under pressure, and signing him for the long-term is a big piece of the puzzle of moving us up the grid.”
Albon took a break from racing for a year after he lost his spot with Red Bull. He joined Williams in 2022 and quickly became their lead driver. In 2023, he helped the struggling Williams team get to seventh place in the championship by scoring most of their points.
But this year, Williams hasn’t scored any points yet. They’ve had a tough time getting their upgrades on time. Albon believes in Vowles’ plans to make the team better, even though it might take a while.
“It’s true that we haven’t started the year where we wanted to,” Albon said. “We’ve not had the pace and we’ve been a bit delayed on our updates and upgrades. I do believe the team is strong and healthy. I feel like there is definitely going to be an improvement. It’s always nice if it happens now, but James is the right person for the job. There is definite progress.”
