Toto Wolff "would never" block Alex Albon from F1 return

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Wolff "would never" block Albon from F1 return

Red Bull driver has been linked with Williams

Sam Hall

Saturday 4 September 2021 13:50

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has claimed he "would never block someone like Alex Albon" from F1 following allegations made by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

After losing his Red Bull seat to Sergio Perez at the end of last year, Albon has now emerged as the lead contender to replace George Russell at Williams as it appears certain the Briton will join Mercedes.

With Mercedes supplying the Grove-based team's power units, however, Christian Horner claimed the Red Bull-backed driver had received "four phone calls telling him not to go there" from Mercedes.

Responding to the comments, Wolff said: "I would never block someone like Alex Albon.

"He is a fantastic guy and his personality is great. I was personally sad to see him going and if he has a chance of driving in a Formula 1 car, I think that is the right thing to do."

Mercedes' De Vries an obstacle for Albon

Despite his comments, Wolff continued to explain his priority was finding a seat for Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, who also won the F2 title in 2019.

“I think it is the ordinary cause of business," added Wolff. "Williams has a Mercedes engine, that is clear, and we have Nyck de Vries, a Dutch driver that deserves to be in Formula 1 equally.

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“Although with him, I am in two minds. He won us the Formula E championship most recently so I guess this is two interested groups that just have to find a solution.”

Regarding de Vries' chances of featuring on the F1 grid next season, Wolff added: "I think the great thing with Nyck is that he has two options.

"He has a guaranteed seat in Formula E, which is a really tough championship, and on the other side maybe a 50/50 chance to be in a Formula 1 car.

"So we need to look at the open spaces at Alfa [Romeo] and at Williams and try to find a solution.”