Red Bull will bring Albon back to F1 next year

After a year of skipping, Alexander Albon will get to F1 again, the Thai driver will be the Williams pilot next season. His teammate will be Nicholas Latifi, who will stay at the grove barn.

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After that on Tuesday became officialthat George Russell would leave Williams and justify to Mercedes, a day later it also became clear who would be his successor. The Grove stable has confirmed that Alexander Albon will take over the British pilot from the 2022 season. The Thai rider will return to Formula 1 after a year of absence, where he will be Nicholas Latifi’s teammate after the Canadian rider’s stay has also been confirmed.

For a long time, the number one expectant of the meeting seemed to be the Formula 2 2019 as well as Formula E 2020-21 champion Nyck de Vries. The Dutch driver would have been a more logical choice in terms of being a competitor to the team’s motor carrier, Mercedes, but rumor has it the management wanted a candidate with F1 experience. Albon’s name came up seriously last week, the 25-year-old pilot he allegedly preferred Williams over Alfa Romeo, and an agreement was reached relatively quickly between the parties.

Albon made its debut in 2019, running the first 12 races of the season in Toro Rosso colors. His performance persuaded the Red Bull staff to get him into the big team to replace the extremely weak Pierre Gasly during the summer break. He didn’t finish just once in the second half of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix, among the top six when Lewis Hamilton turned him on in the final laps.

His next season, however, was by no means so bright, as he tumbled on both the timers and the races. He was able to stand on the podium in Mugello and the first race in Bahrain, but it took a good deal of luck on both occasions, and after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the decision was made that Albon would be just a test and reserve pilot at Red Bull this year, replaced by Sergio Pérez. is coming. However, he was not left without a racing session as he is in the DTM for the 2021 season, where he has a win after five rounds and is ranked 6th in the table.

Despite the Thai driver’s protest from Toto Wolff’s protest to Williams, the red bull’s attachment remained. Mercedes team boss recently stated, he would only like to see him in the colors of the Grove squad if his contract with the energy drinkers was terminated so that the rival did not get information about the engine. “Even though all of Red Bull’s meetings are busy for next season, the team has worked hard behind the scenes to give Alex a chance to race in 201 in F1, helping his development,” the energy drinker said in a statement.

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

If someone leaves here for a year, they can never be sure he’s coming back, so I’m very grateful to Red Bull and Williams for believing in me and helping them get back to the field.

“It’s also great to see Williams progress this year, I look forward to helping them continue this in 2022.”

The other pilot remains

Albon will be a teammate of Nicholas Latifi in the 2022 season, whose contract has been extended. The Canadian rider will thus start his third year in F1 like him.

Nicholas has impressed us over the past three years with his hard work, diligence and positive attitude. Jost Capito, the barn leader, praised the Canadian. “He continued to improve at Williams and became a dazzling F1 driver, as evidenced by his scores.”

“Both of our pilots bring with them an excellent blend of youth and experience that will help us move to a higher level. Alex is one of the most exciting young talents in motorsport yet comes with plenty of routines he has collected at Red Bull. “

With this announcement, another place on next year’s grid has been sold, leaving only one real question: who will be Valtteri Bottas ’teammate at Alfa Romeo next year? According to press reports, Antonio Giovinazzi is likely to leave the Hinwili squad and be replaced by De Vries with the best chance.

The expected 2022 field for Formula 1

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell
Red Bull: Sergio Pérez, Max Verstappen
McLaren: Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris
Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel*, Lance Stroll*
Alpine: Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz
Alpha Tauri: Pierre Gasly, Cunoda Juki
Alfa Romeo: Valtteri Bottas, Nyck de Vries*
Haas: Nyikita Mazepin *, Mick Schumacher *
Williams: Nicholas Latifi, Alexander Albon

* Your contract has not been announced yet.

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