The F1 grid has undergone a seismic shift this week with a third driver finding a new home in a massive week off the track.
The last of a series of massive F1 moves has seen former Red Bull driver Alexander Albon land a spot back in the series following a crazy shake-up of the grid.
The landscape started to shift last week when former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen announced he would retire from the sport at the end of the year, opening up a spot that would allow Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas to move into Raikkonen’s seat at Alfa Romeo and George Russell to finally ascend to a seat at Mercedes.
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It left the seat at Williams free with former Red Bull driver Albon snapped up to return to Formula One, the British team announced on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Albon had a rapid rise at Red Bull, being called up from Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) to the top seat halfway through his first year in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo moving on from the team.
It came as Pierre Gasly was unceremoniously dumped from the team back to Toro Rosso midway through the year.
But after impressing enough to get a full season in 2020, Albon couldn’t keep up with the team’s top driver Max Verstappen and was replaced by Sergio Perez.
It left Albon without a drive this year but following 12 months on the sidelines, he will be handed a second chance in the sport, racing alongside Nicholas Latifi at Williams.
“I am really excited and looking forward to returning to a Formula One race seat in 2022,” Albon said.
“When you take a year out of F1 it’s never certain you will make a return so I’m extremely thankful to Red Bull and Williams for believing in me and helping me on my journey back to the grid.”
He also tweeted his joy at his new role.
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to say. I’m joining @WilliamsRacing for 2022!! The most sincere thank you to Jost and everyone at Williams for trusting me with this opportunity and of course @redbullracing especially Christian and Dr. Marko for making this possible,” Albon wrote.
“Thank you to my family, friends, and all the incredible fans along the way for the constant support, I could not have done it without you all.
“It is an absolute honour to be joining a team with a rich and legendary history and it’s been very impressive to see how the team has progressed at such a fast pace. Watching on from the sidelines this year has made me more motivated than ever and I cannot wait to get started!
“I also want to add the biggest congratulations to Georgie @GeorgeRussell63, there was never a doubt and it was well deserved in every way! Although I’m taking over your seat, I won’t be taking over the topless selfies. See you all back on the grid in 2022!”
The latest driver move comes ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, which is available to watch on Kayo Freebies.
Jost Capito, CEO of Williams Racing, said: “Alex is one of the most exciting young talents in motorsport, yet comes with a large amount of F1 experience from his time at Red Bull.
“His multiple podium finishes highlight his speed as a driver, and we know he will immediately feel at home with the team.”
Albon had been the front runner for the role for some weeks but there was a wrinkle thrown in when Mercedes opposed the hire due to Albon’s links to Red Bull.
It was reported earlier in the day that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff could have potentially blocked the move.
“It’s tricky to have a 100% Red Bull driver on a Mercedes power unit, so I’m happy to work with him as long as they let him free from his Red Bull contract,” Wolff told reporters last week.
At the time, Red Bull boss Christian Horner also threw fuel on the fire.
“Obviously there’s a few hurdles. He (Albon) has had about four phone calls telling him not to go there from the team next door (Mercedes). I told him to ignore them,” Horner said.
But a Red Bull spokesperson told F1.com: “We have released Alex to become a Williams Racing driver in 2022 but retain a relationship with him that includes future options.”
However, Horner said Red Bull would not rule out a future opportunity at the team for Albon.
“We rate Alex very highly and with our line-up for 2022 fixed, our objective was to help find him a seat in another team where he could gain more F1 mileage and experience and we are delighted to have done that with Williams Racing,” Horner said.
“Alex has been a hugely valuable asset in his role as our test and reserve driver this year, helping bring performance from the simulator to the car each weekend, but for his career it was important not to spend another season out of an F1 race seat. With his place on the grid next year secured, we are delighted to see him realise this opportunity and we will be following his progress closely.”
— with AFP