FORMULA 1
It’s two weeks since the Formula 1 driver market was turned on its head by the news that Lewis Hamilton will swap Mercedes for Ferrari from 2025. That’s ample time for representatives to phone team principals with seats going spare and for HR departments to check just how robust their existing paperwork is.
For example, Williams boss James Vowles used the team’s New York City livery launch last week to confirm that Alex Albon is contracted until the end of 2025 – a year longer than thought. The Thai-Brit hasn’t hidden away from the fact that, at 27, he’s entering his prime, wants to battle at the front so might need to switch employers. Autosport understands Red Bull has offered Albon a first option on his future. In other words, if he agrees, Red Bull will have the choice to bring him back for three years starting in 2026.
Plausibly, that would allow Daniel Ricciardo to replace Sergio Perez either partway through this season or next before Albon becomes available. But Albon must consider whether pledging his allegiances so early is too restrictive given the ‘silly season’ lying in wait. Despite the proposal from Red Bull, teams want a consistent line-up heading into 2026 to remove a variable as the new powertrain and chassis regulations come into play.
Albon said in NYC: “I would be denying it if I said there [haven’t] been questions and general chats surrounding [my future]… I feel like I am deserving of a car that can score podiums and fight for wins. That’s just being totally honest with how I see myself. More than anything, I want that team to be Williams and that’s where I put all my work and all my efforts into.”
Former Alpine team-mates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso haven’t exactly poured cold water on their prospects of partnering George Russell. Ocon is out of contract at the end of this season. He was signed by the Mercedes driver programme during his 2015 title-winning GP3 campaign and, given his long-standing relationship with Toto Wolff, he is an outside candidate to replace Hamilton. Addressing the speculation, Ocon reminded everybody: “I’ve always had strong links with Mercedes. I’m still a Merc junior driver. This has always been, even if I’m not that junior anymore. I’m still contracted with them at some stage. We will see. At the moment, I’m totally dedicated to Alpine.”
Meanwhile, Alonso notes that there are three F1 champions on the grid and he’s the only one wh
