Williams were the latest Formula 1 team to make an announcement on their driver line-up by confirming that Alex Albon had signed a new contract.
The 28-year-old was already tied down to a deal that would run until the end of 2025 but he’ll now be one of Williams’s two drivers for when the new regulations are introduced in 2026.
However, there’s no guarantee that the Williams project will be a long-term success and speaking on the Autosport Podcast, journalist Filip Cleeren has shared the earliest moment that Alex Albon could get out of his contract.
Alex Albon tied to new ‘multi-year’ Williams contract
It came as a bit of a surprise that Albon had decided to extend his time at Williams when he did.
The 28-year-old was linked with several seats on the grid with so much volatility in the driver’s market.
There was a suggestion that Albon had been offered a contract to race for Red Bull from 2026.
Albon also held tentative talks with Mercedes at one point but Toto Wolff won’t want a driver for the long-term to replace Lewis Hamilton with Kimi Antonelli coming through.
When Williams announced Albon’s new deal, they described it as a ‘multi-year contract extension’ that continues their partnership into the next Formula 1 ruleset.
READ MORE: Williams driver Alex Albon’s life outside F1 from net worth, girlfriend to parents
Albon said: “This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in which is why I have signed a multi-year contract.”
However, in modern Formula 1, it’s becoming rarer and rarer for drivers to spend the majority of their careers with one team.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are outliers at Red Bull and Mercedes respectively and the latter will be moving on in 2025 and Verstappen has been linked with replacing him.
Albon is putting his trust in a team that aren’t performing at a particularly high level in 2024.
They’ve yet to score a point, and the Thai driver might have a way out of the team before the end of his current deal.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship
Alex Albon could have an exit clause in his latest Williams deal
Asked how firm Albon’s contract is, Filip Cleeren said: “I think that the term multi-year deal is a bit of a giveaway that there is some flexibility there.
“From what I understand is that there is a feeling that [Alex] Albon could be free for 2027 if he wanted to be.
Host Bryn Lucas added: “Right, so it’s a contract signed with a pencil, not a pen.”
Cleeren continued: “He’ll be there for 2026 for sure and then, that’s what I said earlier, he can bide his time and see if Williams delivers and then if not, he’s still only going to be 30 or 31 when he can move and he’s still got time to find a top seat that he wants if Williams can’t give it to him.”
Who could be Alex Albon’s teammate in 2025?
While Albon’s future is confirmed for the next couple of seasons at least after signing his new contract, his teammate Logan Sargeant is in a very precarious position.
Vowles has already told Sargeant that he needs to improve to continue driving for the team wasn’t entirely happy with his performance at Imola.
Several drivers are being considered alongside Albon for next season, including former Williams star Valtteri Bottas.
Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli could be offered the chance to replace Sargeant this season ahead of potentially racing for his parent team next year.
Toto Wolff is also understood to be keen on placing Alpine driver Esteban Ocon at Williams as he still manages the Frenchman’s career.
It will be fascinating to see who ends up alongside the impressive Albon at Williams next year.
The post ‘What I understand’: Journalist shares the earliest date Alex Albon can get out of his Williams contract appeared first on F1 Oversteer.