Alex Albon’s 2024 season has not gone off to a glittering start, with zero points and a costly crash in Melbourne. However, his performance in 2023 caught the eye of many, as Williams finished P7 in the championship standings, thanks mainly to him. Rumors of bigger teams sniffing around naturally gathered substance, and amid links of becoming Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, Albon feels proud.
Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025, which opens up a spot at Mercedes. While the Silver Arrows aren’t at their dominant best in 2024, they are on the path to becoming a race-winning team once again. It is a big seat, and Albon is happy to be involved in the rumors. But is he interested in joining Mercedes? Is there anything to these rumors?
Well, to Albon, all of this is “just noise”, as he revealed in an interview with The Project. At the same time, he reiterated the fact that his focus lies only on Williams, doing his best over there. On the other hand, the #23 driver did not rule out a move to Mercedes.
“I would say there’s a lot going on,” said Albon. “On my side, my focus is on the team. It’s great to hear it because it just means that the job I’ve been doing the last year or so is positive. And people are paying attention to it.”
Albon’s 27-point haul in 2023 helped Williams finish P7 almost single-handedly. His teammate Sargeant got just one point, which although was an achievement in its own right, didn’t particularly help in the fight against AlphaTauri (now RB). However, even if Albon is being considered, he will have quite a few names to compete with.
Alex Albon’s potential competitors for Mercedes seat
Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari is expected to create a big shuffle in the current grid. Multiple drivers will be interested and are linked to the vacant seat at the Brackley-based outfit. While Albon is one of them, several others have a good chance of landing the seat.
2-time world champion Fernando Alonso has been linked to the Mercedes seat several times since Hamilton’s move became official. On the other hand, Carlos Sainz, who will lose his Ferrari seat because of Hamilton, could also be headed to Mercedes.
P7???? A MASSIVE thank you to the team & everyone back at the factory for all the hard work and time that was put into getting the upgrades ready for this weekend. That was fun ✌️@WilliamsRacing pic.twitter.com/yRY1VP2D5O
— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) June 18, 2023
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal wants to take his time. There are short and long-term options, with the talented Kimi Antonelli falling under the latter. Antonelli has been impressive in the junior categories so far. Thus, if nurtured properly, the Italian driver could be the next generational talent on the grid.
