Albon extends Williams deal through 2027

Alex Albon has committed to Williams for the 2027 season, keeping him with the team for a sixth consecutive season.

Albon made his 100th start for Williams in Budapest, extending his record for the most grand prix starts with the team. The 30-year-old has scored only five points this year as Williams has struggled, but last year was his most successful at Williams as he finished eighth in the drivers’ championship with 73 points to his name.

“Since joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team in 2022, the transformation this team has made is difficult to put into words,” Albon said. “One tough year doesn’t tell the full picture, and it only gives me more motivation to keep building and pushing together with the factory and our fans to achieve great things. Our story is not over yet, so my full focus now is on doing whatever it takes to get us back up the grid.”

The poor 2026 so far had brought the futures of both Williams drivers into question, with Albon and Carlos Sainz having options to leave at the end of this year, but team principal James Vowles says the extension is a show of faith from the Thai-British driver.

“I am delighted that Alex and Atlassian Williams F1 Team are continuing our extraordinary journey together,” Vowles said. “Alex has been a leader of this transformation project since day one and we have plenty of unfinished business that we are determined to achieve.

“Alex is one of the best drivers on the grid and knows better than anyone the enormous improvements we have made in recent years – re-signing him shows the belief we both have in the direction we are heading.”

Next season will be Albon’s eighth year in Formula 1, having made his debut for Toro Rosso in 2019 and quickly been promoted to Red Bull – where he scored two podiums in 2020 – before a year as a reserve in 2021 prior to his Williams move.