Albon on his own "with my backpack" after severing Red Bull ties
Albon on his own "with my backpack" after severing Red Bull ties
Alex Albon has revealed he is now "on my own with my backpack" after signing a new deal with Williams and severing his ties with Red Bull.
Former Red Bull driver Albon had to sit on the sidelines last year before the team negotiated a ‘loan’ deal for him to return to the grid with Williams this season after George Russell’s move to Mercedes was confirmed.
At the start of the summer break, Williams and Albon confirmed the signing of a multi-year extension to his contract.
Explaining what it means in terms of his links with Red Bull, Albon explained: "It’s a conversation to have.
"I feel like now I am definitely a Williams driver going from next year onwards but of course, I will still stay close with Red Bull just because of what they have helped me with right from the very beginning of my career.
"I still have a close relationship with them but let’s say, going into next year, then that’s me on my own with my backpack."
Addressing the nature of the deal and how it quickly came to pass, Albon added: “It was pretty clear where it was going to go. It was quite a simple discussion actually.
“Already with [Williams CEO] Jost [Capito] and the board, we were talking about the future pretty early after the first few races and things were already going well.
“It’s also one of those things where you have really got to gel with the team and really feel comfortable with the team and that is something I felt straight away when I joined the team.
“I didn’t have to look too much elsewhere to feel like I wanted to continue working with Williams.”
Albon reveals story behind comical twitter post
Albon’s deal was announced at the start of the summer break, a day after Fernando Alonso revealed his departure from Alpine and reserve driver Oscar Piastri tweeted a denial in response to Alpine’s claim he had signed for them.
The Thai-British driver made his own deal known with a tongue-in-cheek message on his Twitter feed, mimicking the words Piastri used in his earlier tweet.
Albon explained: “I think we were having a barbecue at my parents’ house and I was catching up on all the gossip because I was in the simulator all day and I couldn’t believe, I mean, the whole thing.
“The Alonso thing shocked me, I was ‘what is going on?’ and my girlfriend and my sisters showed me Oscar’s tweet.
"I knew at that point, I’d had a chat with Jost already about announcing it, and we were like, ‘we should make a bit of fun about the situation.’”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Horner reveals Verstappen SECRET as team reveal surprise name change
- 1 hour ago
Ferrari announce DRASTIC change as Verstappen issues dire warning to bosses - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
- Yesterday 22:57
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
- Yesterday 21:57
Horner admits Red Bull at MAJOR disadvantage with new rules
- Yesterday 20:57
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
Legendary F1 circuit could be ditched due to spiralling costs
F1 confirms renewal of KEY race contract until 2025
Brundle names the ONE F1 driver operating well above expectations
F1 legend slams UNFAIR FIA proposal after 'deceiving fans'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860