Former Red Bull reject on the radar of half of the grid, according to F1 journalist

F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto feels that former Red Bull and current Williams F1 driver Alex Albon will be approached by many teams after his contract runs out.

The Thai driver was axed by the Austrian-British team back in 2021 since he was unable to keep up with his teammate, Max Verstappen, and other top drivers. However, after Albon took a break and returned to the sport with Williams, he has been performing quite well, especially considering how slow the Williams FW45 is.

In an exclusive column on F1.com, Barretto speculated on how Alex Albon could be informally speaking with other teams in the future. The journalist further stated that some Red Bull team engineers rate Alex Albon quite highly. The F1 pundit wrote:

“There is so much interest from other teams. Many of Red Bull’s senior engineers are understood to rate him [Albon] very highly. It’s believed there have been conversations (either formal or informal) with at least half the grid, some of which, sources tell me, are top teams. The driver market is wide open for 2025 – aside from McLaren, every single team have at least one seat available.”

Even though Albon does not have any world championships or race wins yet, his brilliant performances with Williams in 2023 are surely turning heads in the paddock.

“Sure, Albon doesn’t have a race win or World Championship under his belt – but those are actually few and far between. He has proved unequivocally that he is one of the most exciting talents on the grid right now. Few are operating at such a high level," Barretto added.

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Alex Albon on his career with Red Bull and alongside Max Verstappen

A few months ago, Alex Albon opened up about his stint at Red Bull and how he got along with his teammate at the time, Max Verstappen. The Thai driver blatantly stated that the team set up their cars according to Verstappen.

While he understands the reason behind it, Albon explained his discomfort when he drove the car, which had too much front-end sensitivity, something that suits Max Verstappen. In a journal written by Albon himself, he stated:

"This isn’t to throw shade at anyone at Red Bull Racing or Max or anything, honestly. But the car is set up in a unique way that is built around the lead driver, and that’s Max. And, look, I totally get why. I mean, when all is said and done, he might be the greatest driver of all time."

"But he has a very distinct style of driving, and he likes the car set up a certain way that’s hard for a lot of drivers to sync up with. Of course, you can tinker and tweak your own car, but just the Red Bull in general is suited to Max’s style," Albon added.

After finishing seventh in the drivers' championship in 2020, Alex Albon was demoted to a reserve driver's role in the team. In 2023, he cut all his ties with the Austrian-British team.