Alex Albon is a ‘sad story’ as Williams driver’s big mistake will ‘never’ pay off

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Alex Albon rebuilt his Formula 1 career after joining Williams in 2022 but Tom Coronel is certain that the London-born Thai’s big decision earlier this year will ‘never’ pay off.

A promising career as a Grand Prix driver quickly became questionable after Albon switched AlphaTauri for Red Bull as a rookie. It even left him without a drive on the Formula 1 grid for 2021 after failing to get to grips with a car that Max Verstappen had won races with in 2020.

But joining Williams brought the spark the 28-year-old was growing with AlphaTauri in 2019 back. Albon scored points in five of his 12 races for the junior Red Bull squad before moving to the works team to replace Pierre Gasly. Yet his 26 races yielded two podiums for Red Bull.

Alex Albon made a mistake signing a new long-term contract with Williams

Williams knew Albon had more to show than he managed with Red Bull, and they especially reaped the rewards last term. His 27 points marked 96.5% of the Grove squad’s total as they recorded their best constructors’ championship finish since 2017 by claiming seventh place.

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The London-born Thai frequently dragged his FW45 past its limits, with Albon producing two miracle drives across the Canadian Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix to take seventh place in front of faster cars. This term has been tougher with Williams building a heavier car, though.

Yet Williams sought to reward Albon’s results with a new contract in May, which locked their star driver down through at least the 2027 season. But Coronel feels it was a mistake for him to renew as Williams will ‘never’ be the squad the multiple-time Formula 1 champions were.

“Great driver but I still think Alexander Albon is a bit of a sad story,” Coronel told Formule1. “I think it’s a shame that he chose to stay with Williams for a longer period, that he went for certainty, because they will never be a top team again.

“Albon has been stuck too much in the legacy of Williams, in his memories of the past when Williams were still Williams and played a significant role. That will never happen again.”

Red Bull and Mercedes considered Alex Albon before his new contract

Only Ferrari with 16 constructors’ championships have won the teams’ title more often than Williams, who boast nine. McLaren and Mercedes have won eight constructors’ titles, which Red Bull have secured six times so far. Williams have even won the third-most drivers’ titles.

But Jacques Villeneuve was the last driver to top the world behind the wheel of a car built in Grove. The Canadian took the 1997 championship on the back of Williams taking Damon Hill to the 1996 crown. But their two decades of successes that started in 1980 then faded away.

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Coronel now doubts that Williams will ever get back to where founders Frank Williams and Patrick Head took the team. Thus, Albon made a mistake by rejecting interest from Red Bull and Mercedes earlier in the year. Red Bull considered Albon’s return to replace Sergio Perez.

Reports even claimed Red Bull offered Albon a contract to replace Perez, with the Mexican’s deal previously lapsing after 2024. But the team from Milton Keynes faced a tough bid with Albon already locked down for 2025. He then recommitted to Williams for the foreseeable.