Alexander Albon

Alexander Philippe Albon Ansusinha (born 23 March 1996) is a Thai-British racing driver who competes under the Thai flag in Formula One for Williams Racing. Born at the Portland Hospital in the City of Westminster, London, England, Albon chose to race under the Thai flag to honor his maternal heritage and support Thai sponsors, making him the first driver to race under the Thai flag in Formula One in 70 years. Albon became part of the Red Bull Junior Team in 2012, beginning his journey through open-wheel racing during the 2012 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season.

After progressing through various junior categories, Albon graduated to FIA Formula 2 in 2017 and finished third in the championship the following season with DAMS, demonstrating the speed and consistency that earned him Formula One promotion. Albon made his Formula One debut in 2019 with Toro Rosso (Red Bull's junior team), graduating to the sport alongside contemporary Lando Norris. His promising performances in the opening races earned him a mid-season promotion to Red Bull Racing, replacing Pierre Gasly to partner Max Verstappen after just 12 races. Despite the pressure of partnering one of Formula One's fastest drivers, Albon showed he was unfazed, taking top-six finishes in eight of his nine races with Red Bull in 2019.

He was retained by Red Bull for 2020 and secured his first Formula One podium at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello, where he became the first Thai driver to achieve a podium finish in Formula One, a historic moment for Thai motorsport. He followed this with another third-place result at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, demonstrating his ability to deliver strong results. However, consistently being outperformed by teammate Verstappen led to Albon being replaced by Sergio Pérez for 2021, though he remained with Red Bull as test and reserve driver. During 2021, Albon contested the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) with Red Bull AF Corse alongside Liam Lawson, maintaining his race sharpness while serving as Red Bull's reserve.

Albon signed for Williams in 2022 to replace George Russell, ending his association with Red Bull at the conclusion of his first Williams season. The move gave him a second chance as a full-time Formula One driver, and he has remained at Williams through 2025, with his contract extended until at least the end of 2026. At Williams, Albon has established himself as the team's lead driver, consistently extracting maximum performance from often uncompetitive machinery. Notable performances include finishing seventh at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix after executing a successful one-stop strategy and holding off faster cars driven by Sergio Pérez and George Russell, earning praise from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Albon has played a significant role in Thailand's bid to bring Formula One racing to Bangkok, with the Thai government approving a $1.2 billion bid to bring Formula One to the streets of the capital by 2028. As Thailand's first and most successful Formula One driver, Albon has become a national celebrity and ambassador for motorsport in Thailand. As of 2025, Albon has achieved two podium finishes in Formula One, both during his time with Red Bull Racing in 2020.

His journey from being dropped by Red Bull to rebuilding his career at Williams exemplifies resilience and determination in overcoming setbacks at Formula One's highest level.