Red Bull engineers rate 27-year-old Formula 1 driver so highly amid exit talks

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Red Bull Racing engineers may not have much of a say in who drives for the team beyond 2024, but they do have a real soft spot for Alex Albon.

The 27-year-old has previously driven for Red Bull before and with Sergio Perez’s future up in the air, they could end up being reunited.

Writing on the official Formula 1 website, journalist Lawrence Barretto provided the latest information he’s heard about this year’s driver market.

Before a wheel has been turned, two of the biggest teams on the grid have already acted to secure the futures of their key drivers.

Charles Leclerc will be a Ferrari driver for some time, while McLaren can look forward to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri racing together for years to come.

It means that the number of available seats within the top teams is already beginning to decrease.

Max Verstappen will be at Red Bull until at least 2028, but realistically they won’t want to ever see him driving elsewhere in F1.

Sergio Perez on the other hand has entered the final 12 months of his deal, raising several questions about who will drive alongside the Dutchman.

Red Bull engineers are reportedly big fans of Alex Albon and the 27-year-old could walk away from Williams at the end of the year when his contract expires.

That might give Christian Horner and Helmut Marko something to think about, however, they’ll be in no rush to make a final decision.

Red Bull engineers rate Albon highly

Speaking about the Thai driver’s future, Barretto said: “Ferrari are understood to be one of the interested parties, while my sources say Red Bull engineers rate him highly.

“It’s quite the turnaround for the Thai driver, who had to fight to get back on the grid after being dropped by Red Bull in 2020.”

Albon is not going to be short of options for 2025 if he decides to move on from Williams.

He’s one of several drivers on Stake F1’s shortlist before they become Audi in 2026.

Red Bull’s hierarchy might ask their engineers for their input on who should replace Perez if the Mexican is going to depart and that might work in Albon’s favour.

While his previous spell with the team didn’t quite go to plan, he’s a much more mature driver and has proved at Williams how quick he really is.

The question for Red Bull will be whether they think Albon can cope with being Verstappen’s teammate this time around.