Alex Albon will remain at Williams in 2027 after the team announced an extension of his contract beyond the end of this season.
Albon joined the team in 2022 after he was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2020, and has since racked up 100 race starts with Williams -- a record for any single driver with the British team.
His future beyond 2026 had been the source of speculation after Williams made a disappointing start to F1’s new era of regulations, but with the season about to get back at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Williams confirmed Albon would remain at the team next year.
“I am delighted that Alex and Atlassian Williams F1 Team are continuing our extraordinary journey together,” team principal James 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.”
After finishing fifth in the constructors’ standings last year, Williams had earmarked this year’s regulation change as an opportunity to move up the grid.
However, the team faced delays with the production of its car ahead of preseason testing, putting it on the backfoot and resulting in a car that was overweight and lacking performance in the first half of the season.
Albon scored points in Miami and Monaco but has only made it out of Q1 in qualifying once in the five races before the summer break.
“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.”
