Alex Albon makes F1 future decision with new Williams contract

Williams announced the news ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix and amid a difficult start to the season.

In a statement, the Thai-British driver said: “Since joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team in 2022, the transformation this team has made is difficult to put into words.

Williams team principal James Vowles added: “I am delighted that Alex and Atlassian Williams F1 Team are continuing our extraordinary journey together.

In a social media message to Williams' fans, Albon said: "I am continuing my journey with Williams, I just wanted to say a big thank you for all the support.

Albon is currently a lowly 16th in the drivers' standings on five points, just below teammate Carlos Sainz on six. Williams, meanwhile, are ninth in the standings, only ahead of Aston Martin and newcomers Cadillac.

Their lack of form in 2026 has seen serious pressure placed on team principal Vowels, and Sainz fail to distance himself from a departure.

However, Albon thinks there's a much bigger picture to look at in his fifth season with the team.

Explaining his decision further, he told Williams' media team: "Even though it's been a tough year, the response of the team back at the factory, and the work that's been put in to understand our issues, has been huge.

Albon recently took Nigel Mansell's record for the most starts with Williams, although his best result this season has been eighth in Monaco.

Last year Albon recorded his best season since leaving a dominant Red Bull in 2020, finishing eighth overall in the drivers' championship with 73 points and four fifth-place finishes.

Yet this season things have dropped off, and the blame has largely been place at Vowles' door.

Sainz recently commented that he's 'not convinced' by the team's progress and he continues to be touted with a departure as he doesn't have a contract for 2027.

But Albon has explained why he's so keen to continue with Vowles and Williams.

"Obviously, I have a great relationship with the team," he said. "I really do enjoy working with everyone - the team at the factory, the team at the racetrack, but also the board and James himself.

Looking ahead to the future, he added: "The future is very much the same as what I'm doing now - getting involved with the team, trying to help as much as we can to accelerate the learnings and the progression to get back to the top quicker.

Finally, Albon spoke about his highlights at Williams, finishing: "I have a lot of highlights. It would be easy to think about last year and how many great races we had, but my big ones are probably: my first race with Williams - a standout moment, just being back in Formula 1 with a team that gave me so much support fro m day one.