Red Bull's Thai shareholders reportedly approach Alex Albon for a possible return alongside Max Verstappen

Fresh reports on Tuesday have suggested that the Red Bull Racing team has showcased an interest in bringing Alex Albon back to the team in 2026 as Max Verstappen's teammate. The team's Thai stakeholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya, is pushing to bring his fellow countryman back to the squad.

Many people thought Alex Albon's F1 career was over after a failed stint at the Red Bull team as Max Verstappen's teammate in 2019 and 2020. However, the 29-year-old has found a new lease of life at Williams after joining them in 2022.

Over the past four years, Albon has become pivotal to Williams' gradual improvement, especially more recently under James Vowles. Now, he is one of the biggest parts of the plans for the Grove-based team.

Thanks to his upturn in form, Albon's former employers, Red Bull Racing, are now reportedly interested in bringing him back to the team, according to Motorsport Italy. Reportedly, the Milton Keynes-based outfit's influential stakeholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya, is pushing for this deal to happen in 2026.

Yoovidhya is understood to be a big fan of his fellow countryman, who was born in the United Kingdom but races under a Thai license. Albon raced 26 times for the Austrian team before being replaced at the end of 2020. It remains uncertain whether he would welcome a return, given his earlier struggles alongside Verstappen.

However, the most obvious obstacle in the way of this deal for Red Bull will be the fact that Alex Albon is contracted with Williams until the end of 2027. James Vowles has also made it known on multiple occasions that the driver remains a key cog in the team's hopes to return to F1 glory.

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Alex Albon would only leave Williams for Red Bull, claims journalist

Alex Albon after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Italian journalist Roberto Chinchero has claimed that Alex Albon would move away from Williams only if he was offered the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen. Chinchero did not believe that the driver would even consider moving to Racing Bulls.

Speaking about the links between Red Bull and Albon, Chinchero shared a detailed analysis of the driver situation at the company's two F1 teams.

"We need to see what the real intentions of Red Bull are, which has four seats, but only two certainties at the moment, which are Verstappen and Hadjar," said Chinchero, via F1 oversteer.

"The other two seats are still completely up for grabs, it’s still an open game because there’s Lawson involved, there’s Tsunoda involved, there’s Lindblad involved and maybe there’s also Albon involved, who would clearly only move for a Red Bull seat. I [don’t] think Albon wants to go to Racing Bulls," he added.

Moving back to the junior Red Bull team would not make much sense for Albon, who is already at a team that is above Racing Bulls in the teams' standings and has also shown a stronger trajectory of growth.