27-year-old Alex Albon stands as one of the most underrated drivers on the current grid, as his performances often go under the radar. The Thai driver was once at Red Bull, but a year and a half into his tenure with the team, they demoted him to the role of a test driver. Since the start of the 2022 season, Albon has been with Williams and has showcased impressive improvements with each race.
Seeing the same, rumors arose of Albon potentially replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. SoyMotor even reported that the driver was in close contact with two American teams for a potential switch and breaking the Williams contract. The rumors caught further wind seeing as Sainz is yet to sign a contract extension with his employers.
With there being talks of Sainz joining Audi as their lead driver once the team enters the grid, Sports Illustrated reported Albon was a prime contender for the spot and quoted him as he claimed he was happy to even be a part of the conversation.
“Good rumors are always nice. I think it just underscores that the year has been going well so far. I’m just happy to hear those things. Of course, it’s just rumors, but I’m not complaining.”
Should Ferrari opt to bring Albon in for Sainz, they could benefit from the insights of a driver who has spent time in various outfits, especially that of Red Bull. Furthermore, he could also prove to be a valuable investment for the future, given he is two years younger than Sainz and that the team is undergoing a rebuild under Fred Vasseur.
On the contrary, Keeping the driver lineup stable would be the smarter move since the Leclerc and Sainz are gelling well. The Tifosi are also starting to consider Sainz as their own, especially since he was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023.
Alex Albon was always a Ferrari fanboy
Ever since he was a kid, Albon loved Ferrari. Much of it stemmed from the Thai driver loving the color red. However, the fandom grew so much that Albon even revealed his first word was “Ferrari,” but given he was still only speaking his first word, all he could get out was “Rari.” The revelation by Albon was a nod to Enzo Ferrari’s famous quote about children and red cars. “Ask a child to draw a car, and certainly, he will draw it red.”
Growing up, Albon idolized Michael Schumacher, who was a Ferrari driver back then. Each time Schumacher lost, Albon would sob uncontrollably, and his parents would have to play highlights of Schumacher’s race wins to get him to stop. The early influence of Ferrari and Schumacher (alongside his own father) was perhaps the primary reason why Albon decided to take up racing as his full-time career.
