11 January 2024 , 16:08
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Two Formula 1 team have already tried to prise Alex Albon away from Williams in the past year, it has been claimed.
The British-Thai racer has enjoyed an eye-catching career renaissance over the past couple of seasons. As recently as 2021, he was off the grid having been axed by Red Bull with his F1 future in severe doubt.
But Albon has grabbed his second chance with both hands. He was impressively solid in his first season with Williams to earn a new multi-year deal, before almost single-handedly firing them to seventh place last term with his results.
Understandably, other teams up and down the pit lane have taken notice. According to ESPN, at least two teams have already tried and failed to buy out the 27-year-old's contract, while Albon himself is apparently 'keen to get himself free of his current Williams deal'.
The ESPN report did not name the two teams in question. While it cannot be verified whether Ferrari was one of them, Mirror Sport understands Albon is admired by top chiefs at the Italian team and is on the list of potential targets should they fail to secure Carlos Sainz for the long-term.
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Sainz does want to sign a new deal with the Scuderia, but it is expected to be a much shorter extension compared to the one given to team-mate Charles Leclerc. The Spaniard is not short of options himself, having already been approached by Audi about a potential switch when the German carmaker enters F1 in 2026.
In any case, Ferrari interest in Albon is a clear sign that top teams may be willing to take a chance on him again. That's despite a difficult 18-month spell racing alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, which ended in him being replaced by Sergio Perez and left without a place on the grid.
Ferrari could target Albon as a replacement for Carlos Sainz, who is admired by Audi (Getty Images)But the British-Thai racer has already made clear his belief that, given another chance in a similar role, he is now much better equipped to live up to the challenge. Other drivers who went through difficult phases in their careers, like Daniel [Ricciardo] at McLaren, had a hard time feeling comfortable in the car," he told Motorsport Total.
"So we tried to make me feel comfortable in the Red Bull. That somehow never really worked out. With the knowledge I have today, I could have done it. But in hindsight it's easy to say.
"The bottom line is that I feel that going through these difficult months and race weekends has made me even better and more focused in this area, I have a better understanding of what feedback I need to provide. I have stronger self-confidence today. I know better what the car has to be like in order to perform better.
"When I sit in these meetings, not only with the engineers on the track, but also with the aerodynamicists and technicians in the factory, with the people who are developing the car for next year, then today I know much better what I'm talking about. I understand the car and its strengths and weaknesses better. Then, you have the courage to say more.
"At Red Bull I still had to learn, so I wasn't able to provide much feedback on where I wanted the car to go because I first had to learn to understand what the car actually does and why."
Albon is one of 14 current drivers whose contracts expire at the end of 2024. A possible extension clause has been mooted in his current deal, though it is not currently known whether Williams would be able to trigger that themselves or whether it would need the driver's consent.