Alexander Albon

Born in London to a British father and Thai mother, Alexander Albon chose to race under the Thai flag — a decision that sparked an explosion of Formula 1 interest across Southeast Asia and gave him one of the sport's most devoted national fanbases. He progressed through the Red Bull junior programme via Formula 2 and received a shock call-up to Toro Rosso mid-season in 2019, performing so impressively that he was promoted to partner Verstappen at Red Bull just months later. After a difficult 2020 amid expectations he wasn't yet fully equipped for, he was dropped — spending 2021 as a Red Bull reserve before Williams offered a career lifeline in 2022.

The Williams move proved the making of him. Albon became the team's undisputed cornerstone and lead performer, consistently extracting results that far outperformed what the machinery deserved, earning a reputation within the paddock as one of the most technically intelligent and constructive development drivers on the grid. The arrival of Sainz in 2025 elevated the team's ceiling further — Albon finishing eighth in the championship in a campaign that represented Williams' best collective output in years. He continues with the team into 2026 on an extended contract.

Smooth, forensically precise, and extraordinarily collaborative with his engineers, Albon is the quiet backbone of one of the sport's most watchable rebuilding stories.