RED BULL have made an offer for Williams driver Alex Albon to replace Sergio Perez.
The after effects of Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell Ferrari announcement are being felt with a re-shuffle of Formula One’s top seats already in the works.
According to Autosport, Red Bull are keen to secure a first option on Albon.
The 27-year old partnered with Christian Horner’s team for an unsuccessful 18-month spell in 2019, but Red Bull have offered Albon another shot following a strong spell at Williams.
If he agrees, Red Bull will be welcoming him back to the fold for three years in 2027, when his contract with Williams expires.
It’s an appealing option for the Anglo-Thai, but it will cut off any chance of a move to Mercedes.
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Hamilton’s impending departure has left more doors open than ever for ambitious drivers gunning to climb the greasy pole.
At the 2024 Williams launch, Albon hinted at what had been going on behind the scenes, saying: “I would be denying it if I said that there haven’t been questions and general chats surrounding around that.
“But truthfully it’s not really personally my area, that’s more my management.
“My focus is on driving.
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WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?
Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.
Here, SunSport’s F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates who could replace him and partner George Russell in the Silver Arrows.
Oscar Piastri – McLaren have sewn up Lando Norris to a new long-term contract that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes’ reach. However, they are yet to tie down his teammate Piastri, 22. The Aussie has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting his chance in F1 with McLaren. He impressed on his debut season last year and has the potential to be a world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo – The experienced driver’s future remains in doubt as he bides his time at Red Bull’s B-team. Ricciardo would be low-hassle and offer some stability but by that time he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would opt for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could come into the reckoning.
Kimi Antonelli – You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17, he has won at all the junior categories and has been part of the Mercedes young driver programme since 2019. This season he has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he has been tipped to shine. A good debut season in F2 could sway Mercedes into taking a risk on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Mick Schumacher – Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoken highly of him, that you’d at least expect him to come into consideration. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and consequently would get up to speed. But speed is also the problem. He was shocking at Haas and if he really was THAT good, he’d still be driving in F1.
Alex Albon – A more-sensible choice would be the London-born Albon. A great guy who is also very quick. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be the low-maintenance quick partnership similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas that swept to successive titles. Albon would take little convincing to join from Williams and Mercedes would not need to pay him half of the £50million they were dishing out to Hamilton.
“My whole focus is on Williams and that’s where I see myself.”
Albon added: “I feel like I’m very close to my peak.”
He is contracted to Williams for the 2025 season, but team principal James Vowles made comments suggesting he would not deny Albon a move away from Williams, were an opportunity to present itself.
He said: “Should any decision go that way, it’s because I’ve made decisions that are correct for the team’s long-term goals and not the short term.”
When pressed, Vowles did not provide a direct answer, saying: “Let’s see. Time will tell.
“But my focus is on 2024, let’s keep it like that.
“Realistically I want to be with the team.
“If the team are where I want them to be, it will be a long-term contract.
“We’re gonna go all the way or nothing.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
