Williams signs Alex Albon to return to Formula 1 in 2022

After Albon was fired from the Red Bull senior team at the end of the 2020 season, Albon was a substitute driver and racing driver in the DTM this year.

Red Bull announced last month that it was working on a deal to secure Albon an F1 return, at either Alfa Romeo or Williams, after both teams expressed their interest in signing the Anglo-Thai driver.

Williams announced on Wednesday that Albon will run alongside Nicholas Latifi next year, with the Canadian returning for a third season.

“I’m very excited and looking forward to returning to a Formula 1 racing course in 2022,” said Albon.

“When you take a year out of Formula 1, it is never certain that you will return, so I am very grateful to Red Bull and Williams for believing in me and helping me get back on the grid.

“It’s also been great to see all of the progress Williams has made as a team this year, and I look forward to helping you continue this journey into 2022.”

Albon will replace Russell for next year, whose move to Mercedes was finally announced on Tuesday after Valtteri Bottas’ move to Alfa Romeo was announced the day before.

Albon clinched two F1 podiums with Red Bull by 2020 after joining the team in mid-2019 after an impressive start to his F1 career at Toro Rosso.

“It is fantastic to confirm our driver line-up for 2022 and I look forward to welcoming Alex to the team and confirming our ongoing relationship with Nicholas well into next year,” said Williams CEO Jost Capito.

“We are very happy about our new line-up, in which both drivers bring a great mix of youth and experience, which not only fits the team perfectly, but will also help us to take the next step on our journey.

“Alex is one of the most exciting young talents in motorsport, but he has a lot of F1 experience from his time at Red Bull. His multiple podiums underline his speed as a driver and we know he will immediately feel at home with the Grove team.

“Nicholas has impressed us again and again over the past three years with his hard work, diligence and positive attitude. He has evolved throughout his time at Williams and has become an impressive F1 driver, as evidenced by his points finishes this season.

“We are now looking forward to building on our positive dynamic as a team and finishing this season as strong as possible before we turn to 2022.”

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It goes without saying that Albon will keep a connection with the Red Bull family next year, the team commented: “WWe released Alex to become a Williams Racing driver in 2022 but maintain a relationship with him that includes future options. “

Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner added: “We rate Alex very highly and with our permanent line-up for 2022 our goal was to find him a place on another team where he could have more F1 miles and experience done that with Williams Racing.

“Alex has been a hugely valuable asset in his role as our test and reserve driver this year and has helped bring the performance from the simulator to the car every weekend, but it was important to his career not to have another season outside of an F1 To spend racing seat.

“Since his starting place is secured for next year, we are very pleased that he is taking this opportunity and will monitor his progress closely.”