Russell insisted on Albon as his replacement at Williams

For a long time it seemed that Nyck de Vries was the main candidate for a seat at Williams after winning titles in Formula 2 and Formula E, also thanks to his Mercedes connection. De Vries drove for Mercedes in Formula E and Williams uses Mercedes engines. It was not to be and the choice fell to Alexander Albon.

De Vries deserves an F1 seat

With the announcement of Williams' drivers for 2022, there are few chances left for De Vries to drive in Formula 1 next season. Only Alfa Romeo still seems an option. "I think he will make Toto Wolff happy if he can have him for another season in Formula E," Williams team principal Jost Capito told Motorsportweek.com.

Nevertheless, Capito also has to acknowledge that the Dutchman deserves a spot in Formula 1. "There is no doubt about that. Only for us, when we have to balance between youth and experience, Alex has an advantage over Nyck. We finally have a good combination of youth and F1 experience."

No Mercedes B-team

According to Capito, however, this does not mean that Nyck would have been a bad choice for Williams. "It doesn't mean that at all," agrees Capito. "And I think Toto also understands that we are not a Mercedes B-team. We are not a satellite team, we have to make the decisions that are good for us and he fully respects that."

What probably also helped with the choice of Albon is that George Russell is said to have urged Capito to allow Albon to replace him should he leave the team. Thus reports the official website of Formula 1. Capito would have been impressed by Albon when he got to know him better.