Alex Albon admits that the Williams driver has felt ‘a bit uncomfortable’ by decisions his Formula 1 rivals like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have made this season.
It has not been a great start to the year for Williams with the Grove squad still yet to score a point. Williams are eighth in the constructors’ championship ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix thanks to Albon taking P11 results in the Saudi Arabian GP and the Australian GP.
Florida native Logan Sargeant even returns to his home event sat 21st and last in the drivers’ standings. The Fort Lauderdale-born driver has not finished a race higher than his P14 finish in Jeddah. Only Alpine and Sauber are also still to score any points after the first five rounds.
Williams star Alex Albon finds F1’s 2025 driver market ‘a bit uncomfortable’
But all the while Williams strive to get back in the points, the team are also looking ahead to 2025. Sargeant is out of contract at the end of 2024 and Williams only have Albon tied down through 2025. The Grove outfit are also looking at potential drivers who could join the team.
Journalist Tom Clarkson has also reported that Williams could drop Sargeant if his results do not improve before the Belgian GP. The team are considering putting Mercedes gem Andrea Kimi Antonelli beside Albon from the Dutch GP. But they also have other racers on the radar.
READ MORE: 5 unforgettable Miami GP moments including Lando Norris’ crash
According to Formula Passion, a return to Williams for Valtteri Bottas is possible now Sauber have signed Nico Hulkenberg ahead of becoming Audi in 2026. While Edd Straw notes that Ferrari ace Carlos Sainz is Williams’ top target to replace Sargeant but he is now a long shot.
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso moved early to secure their 2025 seats
Albon has also attracted interest from up and down F1’s grid after earning 27 of Williams’ 28 points in 2023. But the London-born Thai is keen to avoid actively engaging in talks over his future. He also finds it ‘uncomfortable’ how early the driver market for 2025 sprung into life.
“I’m keen to stay out of it. That’s more for [my] management to deal with,” Albon noted, via quotes by GPBlog. “I think everyone’s seen how early it’s taken place and it’s been a bit uncomfortably early for a lot of [the] teams, as well as [the] drivers.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025
The grid for the 2025 Formula 1 season started to fall in line in January when Ferrari handed Charles Leclerc a new contract. He was otherwise set to be a free agent past 2024 like Sainz was. But the Monegasque will instead race beside Hamilton after he opted to quit Mercedes.
Ferrari confirmed the signing of Hamilton in February on a multi-year contract after McLaren tied Lando Norris down in January. Aston Martin also confirmed that Alonso agreed to sign a new contract in April, having otherwise been free to leave the Silverstone squad after 2024.
Audi even started to get its feet under the table at Sauber by signing Hulkenberg from Haas in April. The German agreed to return to Sauber with a three-year contract as Audi will take the team over in 2026. But seeing drivers sign up for 2025 so early in 2024 bothers Albon.
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