Marko: "Will not ruin his future, but want to keep him with us"

Albon himself does not yet know where his future lies. "The time for talks starts now," he is quoted by Speedweek.com. "In my situation, you always have to be open to other options like IndyCars or Formula E. If there is an opportunity to stay in the Red Bull family, I will undoubtedly take it."

Recently, Albon was linked with a move to Nissan's team in Formula E. With that stable, he had actually signed a contract to race in the electric class in 2019, but then Marko put a stop to that by offering him a contract with Toro Rosso.

Albon hopes to return after one year. At Red Bull, they have plenty of confidence in him in any case, as Helmut Marko's words attest. "He is our greatest strength in the simulator. His contribution to development is hugely important to the team. We won't ruin his future, but we want to keep him with us."

So should Albon get the chance to step in at a Williams or Alfa Romeo Racing, Marko is not going to lie for it. On the contrary, he would welcome the chance, but: "It depends on the details in the contracts," said the Austrian Red Bull advisor.