Alexander Albon Reveals Major Factor in Deciding Between Alfa Romeo and Williams F1 for 2022

The second week of September saw several teams confirm their driver lineups for 2022. One beneficiary of the rapid movement in the driver’s market was Alexander Albon, who Williams confirmed as their driver for next season.

While the Thai racing driver featured on Williams’ shortlist, rumors also linked him to Alfa Romeo. Recently, Albon mentioned how the difference in growth trajectories helped him make his decision.

Alexander Albon highlights Williams’ trajectory as a major reason for his decision

Since its dismal 2019 season, Williams made steady improvements in the last two seasons. Although the finished last in 2020, they look far more competitive this season.

The last four races saw George Russell and Nicholas Latifi garner 22 points together to put them eighth in the constructor’s championship. In fact, Russell also scored Williams’ first podium in four years in the rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix.

The Briton’s move to Mercedes opened the door for Albon to return to F1 with Williams. When asked what made him select the British outfit despite its partnership with Mercedes, he mentioned how their growth helped him decide.

As quoted by Autosport, he said, “Firstly, I would say that they’re both great teams. Looking at Williams, I would say that the first thing is, they look like they’re on the up.

“They’ve obviously got the investment coming in, but also I had the chance to visit the team and they all seemed very positive, optimistic. They were very keen to talk to me and get involved and to make things happen. It seemed like a great choice to get back onto the grid.”

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Albon mentions media’s role in his 2022 F1 seat

The 25-year-old made an impressive debut in 2019 for Toro Rosso, replacing Pierre Gasly in Red Bull midway through the season. Although he kept his seat in 2020, the Thai driver struggled to make a strong impression. This saw Sergio Perez replace him as Max Verstappen‘s teammate, while he took up a test driver role in 2021.

Albon mentioned how the media played a part in confirming his seat despite the other names that he had to compete with. “I honestly think that you guys drive the push more than anyone else,” said the Thai. “On my side, things were still obviously talking. But let’s say, there were other names being mentioned.”

Albon will join Latifi in Williams next year, who he was once teammates with in Formula Two.

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