GROVE, England – Williams Racing officials have confirmed Alexander Albon will join the team to race alongside Nicholas Latifi during the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Albon returns to Formula 1 after serving as a test and reserve driver this year for Red Bull Racing. He spent two seasons racing in F-1 in 2019 and 2020 for Red Bull as well as Scuderia Toro Rosso. He earned two podium finishes last year while racing for the Red Bull squad.
“It is fantastic to be able to confirm our driver line-up for 2022 and I am delighted to be welcoming Alex to the team, along with confirming our continued relationship with Nicholas into next year,” said Jost Capito, CEO of Williams Racing. “We are extremely excited by our new line-up, with both drivers bringing a great blend of youth and experience that will not only be a great fit for the team but also help us take the next step in our journey.”
This year Albon has been focused on simulator work to help develop the RB16B while also competing in DTM, where he recently earned his first victory. He replaces outgoing driver George Russell, who is moving to the Mercedes team next year.
“I am really excited and looking forward to returning to a Formula 1 race seat in 2022,” said Albon. “When you take a year out of F-1 it’s never certain you will make a return so I’m extremely thankful to Red Bull and Williams for believing in me and helping me on my journey back to the grid. It’s also been great to see all the progress Williams have been making as a Team this year and I look forward to helping them continue that journey in 2022. My focus now returns to my test and reserve driver role at Red Bull and helping the Team fight for this year’s world championship.”
Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner said they’ve been working to get Albon back in F-1, which led to the deal with Williams.
“We rate Alex very highly and with our line-up for 2022 fixed, our objective was to help find him a seat in another team where he could gain more F-1 mileage and experience and we are delighted to have done that with Williams Racing,” Horner said. “Alex has been a hugely valuable asset in his role as our Test & Reserve Driver this year, helping bring performance from the simulator to the car each weekend, but for his career it was important not to spend another season out of an F1 race seat. With his place on the grid next year secured, we are delighted to see him realise this opportunity and we will be following his progress closely.”