After being replaced by Red Bull at the end of 2020, Alex Albon’s future in F1 looked bleak. The Thai spent 2021 on the sidelines, with his prospects of returning to the grid unclear.
Thankfully for Albon, he secured a comeback in 2022 with Williams on a multi-year deal.
The 29-year-old has led the Grove-based team for some time now, remaining their main points’ contributor even with the arrival of Carlos Sainz.
Although Sainz is still adapting to life at Williams, Albon deserves credit for his consistent performances at Williams over the years.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed, with Red Bull reportedly making an approach to sign Albon at the end of 2024.
However, for several reasons, Albon is not attracted by the interest from the Milton Keynes team.
Red Bull’s interest in Albon before 2025
The final months of 2024 were very chaotic for Red Bull, both on and on track.
Alexander Albon, Belgian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s fourth consecutive World Championship gave the team plenty to celebrate, especially in the context of McLaren’s revival.
Away from the track, the situation was slightly less positive. Having taken the decision to replace Sergio Perez, Red Bull found themselves at the centre of driver market speculation.
On paper, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson were their obvious candidates to replace Perez.
However, Red Bull were also evaluating options outside of their own academy. Franco Colapinto, for example, was briefly a candidate to join the team – before a series of crashes in Vegas and Brazil changed the team’s mind.
Elsewhere, there were others also on Red Bull’s radar.
According to reports at the beginning of the year, the Austrian team gauged Alex Albon’s interest in making a return.
Despite the Thai’s relatively speedy exit from Red Bull at the end of 2020, his career turn-around at Williams made him a plausible option for Christian Horner’s team.
Red Bull’s owner, Charlem Yoovidhya, is reported to still be enthusiastic about Albon returning to Milton Keynes.
Unfortunately for the Austrian outfit, Albon himself is not interested in joining.
Putting aside Red Bull’s development struggles this year, their prospects for 2026 are viewed with great scepticism.
The difficulty of producing their own engine makes them underdogs heading into next season.
It will be a great challenge for Red Bull to remain front-runners, especially against more established manufacturers.
Speaking of which, Mercedes are expected to produce among the best engines in 2026.
Alex Albon himself has discussed this, which is one of the reasons why staying at Williams is such an attractive option.
Alexander Albon, Belgian Grand Prix, Sprint and Qualifying Day.
The future for Red Bull’s driver line-up
Focusing on Red Bull, their options for 2026 are relatively limited.
In theory, they could make an effort to explore the market and take a risk on Verstappen’s next teammate.
Still, finding a driver willing to drive alongside the Dutchman – especially as the team declines – will be difficult.
Verstappen’s 9th place finish in Hungary is fresh evidence for why team principal Laurent Mekies is focusing on performance.
With this in mind, Tsunoda can solidify his position at the team with a solid second half of 2025.
Assuming Tsunoda can improve his results, Red Bull could also retain the same line-up at VCARB.
Keeping Arvid Lindblad in Formula 2 for another season is a feasible option for Red Bull, who will be cautious about promoting their young driver too quickly.
Main photo: via Williams media gallery