The 2022 season saw Oscar Piastri leave an impression on the F1 paddock even before he made his eventual debut in 2023. His contract saga with Alpine unfolded on X (formerly Twitter) and was the talk of the town. Alex Albon, used that to his advantage, as the British-Thai driver referenced the infamous Piastri tweet to announce his contract extension with Williams.
The 2021 F2 champion, Piastri was an Alpine academy driver. After his exploits in the junior categories, the Enstone-based team decided to elevate him to F1. Announcing that he would race for the team from 2023 onwards, Alpine put out a press release. However, little did they know that the #81 driver was already lured away by McLaren for a 2023 F1 seat.
I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022
This prompted the young Australian to publicly denounce Alpine’s announcement via his own X account. The tweet went viral instantly and has since been embedded into F1 folklore. Albon used Piastri’s ‘template’ and gave it a twist to then announce his own $3,000,000 worth contract extension.
Albon wrote, “I understand that, with my agreement, Williams Racing have put out a press release this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is right and I have signed a contract with Williams for 2023. I will be driving for Williams next year.”
Alex Albon repeats hilarious antics to announce another Williams extension
2023 would turn out to be a breakthrough year for both, Piastri and Albon. The Australian went on to register a solid rookie year which saw him bag two podiums for McLaren and the 2023 Qatar GP Sprint win as well. Albon, on the other hand, led his Williams team to a stellar seventh-placed finish in the Constructors’ championship.
His stock has only risen since. Hence, many were surprised to see the British-Thai driver pen yet another contract extension – this time securing his long-term future with the team, seeing him into the 2026 regulation reset with the Grove-based outfit.
True to his form, though, the 28-year-old announced the same on a hilarious note. In a video uploaded to YouTube by the team, Albon revealed that he was on his way, in a car, to “kiss some Stingrays”. This sent his team principal, James Vowles into splits of laughter.
Jokes apart, Albon committing his long-term future to Williams is a crucial moment in the team’s resurgence. He is seen as a team leader and the squad wants to build their title ambitions around him. Paddock experts have even suggested that Albon’s deal may be a pre-cursor to Adrian Newey joining the team very soon.
