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Former Red Bull junior Alex Albon has signed a multi-year contract with Williams to put an end to speculation around his future. The Thai driver has been with the team for two years now and has impressed many on the grid.
Albon was set to be a player in the driver market come the end of the 2024 season. This is thus a major signing for Williams and its new team principal James Vowles as Albon is expected to be a lead driver for the team for the foreseeable future.
In the team's press release, the 28-year-old expressed his happiness with the opportunity to continue his journey with the team.
“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,” Albon said.
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.”
This announcement also pulls Alex Albon out of the driver market after rumors suggested that he was an outside contender for Sergio Perez's current seat at Red Bull. Perez's contract with Red Bull expires at the end of this season.
"Alex Albon has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication" - Williams team principal James Vowles on former Red Bull driver
James Vowles also seemed happy after securing the services of Alex Albon for the foreseeable future. The former Mercedes director is working on a long-term project of building up the team and bringing Williams back into contention and viewed this as a step in the right direction.
In the press release, Vowles 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."
He added:
“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."
It will now be interesting to see who turns out to be the teammate for the former Red Bull prospect. Esteban Ocon is reported to be in contention for the other Williams seat (as per Sports Illustrated).
